Mine
by Shakespeare's Lemonade
Summary: Steve meets a woman who seems to have nothing in common with him, yet he's surprised at his attraction to her. But she has a dangerous past involving a violent drug dealing ex-boyfriend, trust issues, and three brothers who mean well. Though he wants to help her, Steve isn't sure what he's gotten himself and the team into. Steve/OC, Danny/Rachel, Kono/OC.
1. Blindly

"Mine"

Shakespeare's Lemonade

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Suspense

Summary: Steve meets a woman who seems to have nothing in common with him, yet he's surprised at his attraction to her. But she has her own dangerous baggage, and though he wants to help her, he isn't sure just what he's gotten into.

Pairings: Steve/OC, Danny/Rachel, Kono/OC, Chin/Malia

A/N: This is set almost a year after season one, but it's very AU because I wrote most of it before season 2 started. I thought I'd better post it before season 1 got too distant, and it became obsolete. Also, it's Valentine's Day, so what better time? Also, there is a pairing for Kono, but she doesn't meet him until chapter eleven.

**Chapter One "Blindly"**

Steve had seen her before. She was one of Rachel's friends, so he hadn't really paid much attention to her. He didn't think he would have anything in common with a friend of Rachel's. But Danny said she was great, and he wouldn't stop bothering Steve about it, so Steve thought he might as well meet her, decide it wouldn't work, and get Danny off his back.

Danny wasn't exactly being unreasonable. Since things had calmed down after the governor's murder, and Steve was recently single, he had become somewhat bored. And that scared Danny. Though, why he thought a girl would solve everything, Steve wasn't sure.

So, Steve stood outside the restaurant, wondering if it were too late to call the whole thing off. He shook his head and went inside.

Mia O'Brien was a few years younger than Steve. As far as he could remember, she was an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii, originally from Southern California.

She was already seated and looking at the menu. So, Steve took a moment to observe her. She was of average height and build. Her hair was brown and pulled to the side in a loose braid. Steve couldn't see her eyes. She was dressed conservatively in a knee-length skirt and cap sleeved top. There was a light sweater draped over the back of her chair. She wasn't wearing any jewelry or makeup. Steve concluded that she didn't like to draw attention to herself and that she wasn't overtly trying to impress.

Before he could make any more observations, Mia looked up. After the flicker of surprise in her eyes, she smiled. Then she stood up and shook Steve's hand.

"Nice to see you again," she said.

"You too," Steve replied, smiling back.

They sat down and picked up their menus. Steve was about to resign himself to awkward silence when Mia spoke up.

"I'm glad Danny's paying," she said.

Steve looked across the table with something like appreciation. "So they had to bribe you too, huh?" he asked.

She half smiled. "Well, of course I mean no offense, but yeah. I've never done this before."

Steve nodded and added another characteristic to his mental inventory: bravery. "Neither have I," he admitted, hoping to make her more comfortable.

"That's interesting..." Mia tapped a fingernail against her lip. "So, what is it we're supposed to talk about?"

"I'm not sure. I keep thinking of things we're not supposed to talk about."

"What? Like religion, politics, past relationships, money, work... What am I forgetting?"

"Family, the future, so called friends who set people up."

Mia laughed. "Which of those forbidden topics sounds most interesting?"

"Definitely work."

"Really? That's unusual. I'm perfectly comfortable with it, though. Anyway, I'm sure Danny has given me completely the wrong impression."

"Probably not. If he says I hang people off roofs, I do."

"No, he hadn't mentioned that. I take it there is a story?"

Steve shrugged. "I just wanted to scare the guy. There's no way I would ever have dropped him. This was... over a year and a half ago and Danny still brings it up."

"So, what was your most recent adventure?"

"Well, last week we had a car chase. That's pretty normal, though."

"Did you catch the guy?"

"Girl. She was a college student who's extracurricular activities included stealing valuable antiques."

"Sounds like some of my students." Mia's voice had a hint of exasperation.

Steve laughed. "Really? What is it you teach?"

"Writing and literature. I think some of them believe a life of crime might be easier than learning a five paragraph essay."

"What's so hard about that?"

"You'd be surprised. Sometimes they have no clue what I'm asking them to do. It's sad and funny and sad all over again."

"I think your job must be harder than mine. I get to arrest people. You have to make them learn."

Mia smirked. "People don't really think of it that way, but you're actually right. I get more reaction from rocks sometimes."

"Do you tell your students this?"

"No. It would only confuse them."

"So, it's not ironic at all that _I_ understand?" Steve's voice was full of obvious sarcasm.

"Oh, not at all. I think entropy dictates that people get stupider as the years go by. So, your comprehension would naturally be better than your average college freshman."

"Hey, do me a favor. Next time you see Danny, tell him that."

"Why?"

"He's always telling me what an idiot I am."

"Well, that's not so bad. You should hear what he says about people he doesn't like."

"I do. Every day."

"Then what do you have to complain about?" Mia smirked, and Steve thought that this evening might not be a total disaster after all.

They continued talking about work and their mutual friends. Steve carefully avoided talking about his personal life and he noticed that Mia did too. It was all too soon for that anyway. They were enjoying themselves and even ended the night with an enormous cliche: a walk on the beach.

Mia held her shoes in one hand and looked out at the dark water. "How'd I do?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"I've been told I'm terrible at first dates."

"Who told you that?"

"People."

"I see." Steve noticed her obvious avoidance. "You did fine. I had a good time."

"Really? I have to say I'm surprised. I ramble, don't I?"

Steve shrugged. "Guess I'm used to it. You're not anything like Danny."

They both laughed and Mia turned back to look at Steve. "Well, everything Danny said about you was true. As far as I can tell."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Very... Will I see you again?"

"If you want to."

Mia held out her cell phone and her other empty hand. They exchanged numbers and said goodnight. Steve hoped that the next time, he would learn a little more about Mia's personality, why she seemed somewhat guarded. He knew that would mean letting down his own guard a little. He wasn't sure if he wanted to, but he would find out.

**H-5-O**

It was late Saturday morning, and Danny was over because he seemed unable to function without intruding on Steve's personal space at least once a day. Of course, he wanted to know how the date went.

"First." Steve held up a finger. "It was not a date."

Danny sunk back into the couch cushions and crossed his arms. "What would you call it?" he asked.

"Dinner. Which was nice by the way. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. What about Mia? Do you think you'll see her again?"

"We did exchange numbers."

"So, you gonna call her?"

"I don't know." Steve shrugged. "Maybe she'll call me."

Danny shook his head. "She won't. She's... shy."

"Didn't seem like it."

"That's because she's friendly."

"The two seem to be mutually exclusive."

"She is fundamentally introverted, but aware of social needs other than her own. She's _nice_. I'm sure you wouldn't know that if it hit you in the face."

"It's nice, so it wouldn't."

"Yeah, well, true friends stab you in the face."

"That's ridiculous."

"About as ridiculous as your entire argument. Call her."

Steve looked at his phone, but he didn't need to follow Danny's order because it rang almost immediately. The screen said _Mia_.

"She won't call me, huh?" Steve asked with a smirk. He put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Steve, it's Mia," came the reply. "Are you doing anything this afternoon?"

"Depends. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, this might sound incredibly boring, but I'm giving a lecture on ancient themes in modern literature this afternoon. I thought since our mutual friends are occupied, you might like to come."

"I did hear something about the zoo." Steve looked at Danny. "When is it?"

"It's at 2:30. I thought we could have lunch before, if you want. I could pick you up and that way we can drive to the campus together."

Steve felt like offering to drive instead, but he thought better of it. "Sounds great. I'll see you later."

After he hung up, Danny stared at him.

"What?" Steve asked.

"You're going out with her again?" Danny said with a hint of I-told-you-so in his voice.

"She invited me to a lecture she's giving. _Apparently_, her other friends are busy today."

"No way. Hey, tell me something. How is it I've been telling you for months that you need to go out with Mia, and after one date, you're going to a lecture? You know what a lecture is, Steven?"

"Yes. It's where someone talks for a long time. I've had plenty from you."

Danny nodded. "You're not going like that are you?" He eyed Steve's t-shirt and cargo pants.

"Like what?"

"Like you dress every day. You don't wear work clothes to a lecture."

"I guess not." Steve stood up and headed for the stairs. "I'll change before she gets here."

"She's picking you up?"

"Yes."

"You won't even let me pick you up."

Steve smirked. "She's a lot prettier than you."


	2. The Last Lecture

**I decided to post chapter two as well since it gets the main plot going. I'll probably post chapters once a week or so after this. Let me know what you think!  
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**Chapter Two "The Last Lecture"**

When Mia arrived at Steve's house, he had changed into jeans and a shirt with buttons. Even Danny would have to approve, but he had already left to pick up Rachel and the kids for the zoo. Steve shook his head and smiled thinking about it. He was so glad Danny had his life back, but it did mean less time the two of them could spend together. Steve knew that was why Danny insisted Steve go out with Mia.

But Steve had never imagined it would actually work. Under normal circumstances, Steve wouldn't have given her a second thought. Sure, she was pretty and nice, but at the outset, there didn't seem to be anything that particularly attracted him to her. But that had changed after last night.

Still, Steve met Mia in the driveway, not sure he wanted to invite her into his father's home yet. It would bring up too many things he didn't want to talk about now. Mia did seem to notice, but she didn't say anything.

"Confession," she said, standing next to her car door. "I haven't gone out to eat much while I've been here, so I don't know where we should go."

Steve smiled. "I'll navigate," he said.

They got in the car, and while Steve was genuinely uncomfortable being driven around, he tried his best to ignore it. Maybe Danny was right about his control issues.

Steve directed Mia to a little cafe that his mother had loved when she was alive. He hadn't been there since then, but it hadn't changed. Mia seemed happy with the atmosphere as they sat down.

"I suppose you know all the great places to go around here?" she asked.

"Well, not exactly," Steve said. "A lot has changed since I lived here before. There are a few places like this though."

"Yeah. I've been here two years, and I still don't get out much."

"At least tell me you don't hate the beach."

"What? Who hates the beach?"

"Danny."

"Oh. No, I don't. I grew up in LA. I've always loved the ocean. I guess I just meant that I don't have much of a social life. I got to the beach, and I ride my bike sometimes, but that's about as exciting as things get."

"So what about this lecture?"

"Oh, that's exciting for me, but not many other people. I really hope you're not bored to death."

"I think I'll survive."

"You know, I'm actually surprised that you agreed to come so quickly. It doesn't seem like something you would like."

"I'm interested to know what you do. What I do is a little more obvious."

"Yes, I remember reading about it in the newspaper."

"Oh, don't listen to them. They say all kinds of nasty, untrue things."

"So, now I get to hear the whole story."

"Some other time. It's depressing."

"At least it had a happy ending."

Steve thought about arguing with that, but he didn't really want to talk about it, so he only nodded stiffly. Mia got the hint.

**H-5-O**

Steve enjoyed the lecture. He wasn't always sure what Mia was talking about, but when she got up in front of everyone, she was dynamic and engaging. He had thought she was soft spoken, but when she addressed the entire room, her voice carried and she spoke with enthusiasm.

After the lecture there was a question time, and even though Steve didn't understand all the questions, he could tell that Mia answered even the most challenging ones very well. He could tell she knew her stuff and was very passionate about it.

Afterward, Mia introduced Steve to some of her colleagues. He was a little nervous about that, but she handled it well, calling him her date. Steve did feel a little out of place amongst college professors and literature students, but Mia kept him feeling at ease.

When they left, Steve almost didn't feel the discomfort of not driving. He decided he really needed to get over that. On the ride back to his house, they talked about Mia's lecture and she tried to explain the more complex facets of her analysis. In the end, Steve was sure there were things he didn't grasp, but it was interesting anyway, and Mia was good at clarifying it.

When they got to Steve's house, Mia followed him to the door. Steve found himself wanting to hold her hand, but he knew she probably wouldn't like that.

"Well, it was educational," he said with a smile.

Mia smiled back. "I'm glad you didn't fall asleep or anything."

Steve laughed. "No. You're a great speaker."

"Makes up for the flaws in my analysis I guess."

"If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't find them if I wanted to."

"It does."

They were still smiling at each other and felt like there was something more to be said or done. Finally, Steve said,

"I'll call you."

"I'll be expecting it," Mia replied.

She turned to leave and Steve watched her back, noticing the spring in her step, and he wasn't sure if it was the excitement of her successful speech, or something else. Steve found himself hoping it was the latter.

**H-5-O**

That night, the Williams family came over to Steve's house after their zoo adventure. Grace had all sorts of stories about all the animals she saw.

"And Uncle Steve, you should have seen the monkeys," she said. Steve was sitting on the couch, holding the baby and Grace was up on her knees next to him.

"Patrick laughed like crazy when he saw them," Grace continued.

"Almost as funny looking as Danno, huh?" Steve asked.

"I heard that!" Danny called from the other room. He and Rachel came into the living room after finishing the dishes from dinner.

"I know," Steve said, smiling widely.

"So," Rachel said, sitting down. "How did you and Mia get on?"

Steve had known this would come up, but he wasn't thrilled about the conversation. "Well," he said. "She's very interesting."

"We told you."

"Yeah, I know."

"How was the lecture?" Danny asked, with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"She's very good," Steve said. "I actually got most of what she was saying."

"What was the topic?"

"Ancient themes in modern literature. Now, if I had read any 'modern literature,' I'm sure I would have understood it better."

"I've read her paper," Rachel said. "It was very good. She has a way of saying things so that they make sense to everyone, but still seem profound."

"Like you." Steve nodded at Danny.

"Aw, thanks." Danny grinned.

"Uncle Steve?" Grace asked. "Are you and Mia gonna get married?"

Steve felt the color drain out of his face at the question. He was nowhere near ready to think about that yet. "Uh, Gracie," he said. "I just met her and you have to know someone a long time before you know if you want to marry them."

"Oh." Grace seemed a little disappointed. "But if you do, can I be the flower girl?"

Steve laughed. "Grace, if I ever get married, you can be the flower girl."

Somewhere between the amused laughter and Grace's excitement at the prospect, Steve's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID he was surprised.

"Hello?" he answered.

The first thing he heard was heavy breathing. Then a shaky voice: "Steve?"

"Mia?" Steve immediately switched gears, his voice betraying concern. "Are you okay?"

"Steve, I'm sorry, but I didn't know who else to call..."

"What's going on? Are you hurt?" Steve handed Patrick to Rachel and headed for the door, not really knowing why.

"I—I need you to meet me. At the beach. I didn't want to drag you into this, but... you're the only one who can help me. Please meet me. Alone."

"The beach? Where we were last night?"

"Yes. Please hurry."

Steve hung up and after a quick glance at Danny, he kept walking toward the door.

"Whoa, wait a second," Danny insisted, following his partner across the living room. "You want to tell me what that was."

"I don't know," Steve replied. "But she's in trouble, so I'm going to help."

"Great." Danny spread his hands. "And you don't think that, I don't know, maybe you should take me with you?"

"She said to come alone."

"I'll wait it the car." Danny's voice rose to the annoyed, _I'm talking to an idiot_ tone.

"Fine," Steve said. "Let's go."

"Be careful," Rachel called after them.


	3. Finding Out

**Thanks for the reviews. I'm really glad people like this story. Oh, and I forgot to say thanks to my beta, SugarMuffin08. It's her fault chapter two exists.  
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**Chapter Three "Finding Out"**

Mia paced the sand, telling herself to breathe, to calm down. It wasn't working. She worked her sore jaw and felt the indignation rise a little over the fear. Only a little.

The sound of an approaching car scared her at first and then calmed her when she saw Steve getting out of the driver's seat. Somehow, Mia knew she could trust him. And she knew his position would be more than enough to make her safe.

In her wildest dreams, Mia had never imagined she would drag all this with her when she left LA two years before. But she had. It was too late to undo anything now.

Steve walked across the beach, stopping a few feet away. Mia shouldn't have been surprised that he had noticed her bubble.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a shockingly concerned voice. Mia had assumed he would be demanding answers. She wasn't prepared for this.

"I..." she began, but then realize she didn't know what she was going to say.

"You are hurt," Steve said, stepping closer.

Mia unconsciously stepped back. Of course he could see the bruises and maybe the blood on her face, even though it was dark.

"It's not serious," she said. "I just... I don't know where to start."

"Well, maybe we should sit down?"

Once again surprised at the total lack of irritation in his voice, Mia allowed Steve to take her hand and pull her gently to the sand. Then he let go again, somehow knowing she would want him to.

"I really never thought this would happen," she finally said. "I mean, I thought it was all behind me..." Mia sighed loudly. "Two years ago, I was dating this guy, Ricky Durante. I found out that he was involved in a bunch of gang stuff. You know, drugs and illegal guns and... so on. I went to tell him I didn't want anything to do with it, and I honestly thought that would be the end of it."

Mia let out a humorless laugh. "I spent two weeks in the hospital with severe bruises, broken ribs, my eyes were almost swollen shut... He went to jail for it, but not long enough, I guess. I didn't think I had anything to worry about, but after he was sentenced, I started getting threatening phone calls from his gang mates. I decided to move before he got out. I didn't think he'd come after me, honestly, I... I thought it was over."

"He's here?" Steve asked. "He did this?"

Mia nodded. "I managed to get away. I mean, after the first time, don't think I didn't take self defense classes... And then I ran, and then I called you."

"Okay." Steve nodded. "I'm going to take you to the hospital."

"No."

"Hey, you wanted my help. You have to have your injuries looked at, if only to prove that he hurt you. I'll call HPD on the way over and they can send an officer over to take your statement."

"I guess I knew that."

"Do you have somewhere you can stay?"

Mia's eyes widened. "Uh, not really. I'd ask Rachel, but..."

"I know. You can stay at my house."

"I couldn't."

"It's the safest place right now. This guy doesn't know me, and even if he did come after you there, I can assure you, he wouldn't get in."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be locked up in a military fortress or something."

"Well... It looks like a house."

Mia smiled weakly and stood up. "I guess I'd better get this over with."

**H-5-O**

Of course, Danny was not satisfied with wondering what was going on, but Mia didn't seem interested in telling him anything, and Steve wasn't about to. So, Danny settled for crossing his arms and ignoring them. When they got to the hospital entrance, Danny was even more confused. Steve had made him sit in the back, so he hadn't seen Mia's injuries.

They all got out of the car and then Danny realized what was going on. Even in the dark outside, he could see the dark bruises across Mia's face, and once they were inside, the view only got worse. Danny bit his tongue to keep from asking what happened. Then he saw the officer waiting for them. Danny could imagine what was going on.

When Mia was taken to be examined, Steve sat down as if to wait. Danny stood across from him, arms still crossed, eyebrows raised.

"So?" he asked.

Steve looked up at him, but didn't say anything.

"Come on. There's a story here."

"Not mine," Steve said.

"So, who hurt her?"

Steve looked like he wasn't going to answer. Then he sighed. "An ex-boyfriend from LA." Steve told Danny the rest of the story that Mia had told him. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's all Steve knew.

"Why come after her now?" Danny wondered.

"I don't know," Steve replied. "Maybe the guy's just obsessive, or maybe he thought she knew something."

"Either way, she's in trouble."

"I told her she could stay with me. I knew you wouldn't want Rachel and the kids in danger."

"That's... yeah. Probably best. But I'm thinking there's more to this story."

"Definitely. And we can try to figure that out. Mia said before she left LA, some of the other gang members threatened her. That's why I think this might have something to do with silencing her rather than just revenge."

"Yeah... listen, you can tell me how wrong I was later."

"Wrong? Oh... Well, this has absolutely nothing to do with that."

"Not exactly what you wanted to be doing with your weekend, though. I'm surprised she called you instead of me. I guess you really hit it off."

"Or something."

Danny wanted to ask what that meant, but he didn't. Mia was just coming back to the waiting room. She had a couple of bandages on her face, but other than that, she looked much the same. The doctor and the officer were finished talking to her, but the latter came over to Steve and Danny.

"What do you guys know about this?"

Steve shook his head. "Only what she told me," he said. "We weren't there. But we can start looking into Durante's past while you look for him here."

"Is Five-0 taking this case?" the officer seemed surprised.

"No," Steve said. "Just assisting."

The other man nodded and turned to leave. "We'll have someone come by your HQ in the morning," he said.

As they watched him go, Danny looked thoughtful. "Interesting," he said.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Well, just that HPD doesn't hate us so much anymore."

"We've been good."

"I credit my influence on you."

"Of course you do. _I_ credit the governor's instructions to tone it down."

"Right. You only listen to him."

"Usually."

Danny only shook his head as Mia finished signing the hospital paperwork and came over to them.

"Hey," she said. "You think I could go by my place and get a few things?"

Steve nodded. "If we hurry, we won't have to deal with CSIs," he said.

"With your driving," Danny said, "that won't be a problem."

**H-5-O**

After stopping by Mia's apartment and dropping Danny off at home, Steve drove Mia back to his house. Once there, he showed her to one of the spare rooms and found her some clean sheets.

"I don't usually have company," he said as they made the bed. "So, I don't really keep things ready."

"I really appreciate it," Mia said. "I mean, you didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to."

"That's why I appreciate it."

Steve smiled, unsure of what, if anything to say to that. They finished making the bed and Mia went over to the window.

"You live on the beach," she said, as if she might have suspected as much.

Steve nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him. "This was my dad's house."

"Danny said your parents both died?" Mia turned back to Steve.

"Yeah. My mom when I was fifteen. My dad a couple of years ago."

Mia shook her head. "I don't know what I'd do without my parents."

"Pray you never have to find out."

Mia nodded. "You know it's ironic. They loved Ricky. My brothers too."

"You have brothers?"

"Three. Two older one younger. You'd think a girl like me would be more than protected."

"I guess they had no reason to suspect anything."

"Yeah. It... it didn't make sense. Still doesn't."

Steve thought now was probably a good time to bring up his theory. "Maybe they think you know something," he said.

"What? Like something incriminating? I don't."

"But you said the other gang members threatened you. Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. You could be right, I suppose."

"We'll find out."

**H-5-O**

Danny got home late, but Rachel was up waiting for him. She looked tired and worried, and for once, Danny was halfway glad it wasn't because of him. But he couldn't really be happy about the situation.

"What happened?" Rachel asked softly.

Danny sighed. "Mia's in some trouble with an old boyfriend," he said. "She's staying with Steve until we can find him."

"He hurt her?"

"Yeah... He followed her from LA. I'll let her tell you the whole story, but he's involved in gang activity and that's why she broke up with him. Guess he didn't like that."

Rachel seemed to be thinking for a moment. "Why is she staying with Steve and not us?" she asked.

"She doesn't want you or the kids to be in danger."

Rachel nodded, but didn't seem to like the thought.

"And anyway," Danny went on, "she's safer with Steve than she would be anywhere else."


	4. Working Sunday

**Sad day. I've lost one of my loyal betas to the horrors of real life. I owe a lot to SugarMuffin08 for this story especially, but for many others as well.**

**I've also noticed that because I wrote a lot of this before season 2 started, there are a lot of inconsistencies with the show, but I like how it turned out, so I decided to leave it that way.  
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**Chapter Four "Working Sunday"**

Danny didn't say anything about working on Sunday. He was as intent as Steve was to see Ricky Durante brought to justice. He found it hard to believe that someone could victimize Mia like that. Not that she was particularly tough, quite the opposite, but she didn't seem like the kind of person who would be anywhere near someone like Durante.

Therein lay the mystery. How was Durante able to fool Mia and her family and why? That's what they were going to find out. Hopefully.

When Steve came into the office followed by Mia, Danny was only half surprised. It made sense not to leave her alone until they knew what they were dealing with. But Danny did wonder what would happen the next day when she went back to school.

"Detective Ahuna called," Danny said as the other two came in.

"Ahuna?" Steve asked. "That's big guns for something like this."

"Yeah, well, apparently our boy Durante is a bigger fish than we thought. LAPD has been trying to nail him for all kinds of stuff, but can't get any proof. The only thing they really have is his attack on you." Danny nodded toward Mia. "But now that he's followed you here, they want to know why... So, it looks like this case will be more ours than we thought." Here he looked back at Steve.

"So what did Ahuna say?" Steve asked.

"He's coming by later to give us everything he got from LAPD and the investigation last night. They want us to cooperate with LA and get something solid on Durante."

"But if he's only here for Mia, the worst thing we have is last night."

"Unless he isn't just here for her."

"Why else?"

"I don't know. Ahuna implied that he might have connections here."

"Gang connections? Such as..."

"Like I said, he implied. I don't know."

Steve and Danny both looked at Mia who put up her hands. "I don't know anything," she said. "All I knew was he was a gang-banger, and I didn't want anything to do with him. I thought it was just a local Mexican gang."

"Did you ever see anything, or hear anything that might be harmful to them?" Steve asked.

"Only what made me leave him. I heard him on the phone a couple of times with... I can't remember his name. They were talking about drugs and stuff. I didn't really try to figure it out. I just wanted to be away from him."

Steve nodded. "Okay, so it's unlikely that he thinks you know something," he said. "So, maybe he is here for some other reason. Maybe revenge was just a bonus."

"It's just a little too ironic, don't you think? I mean, I was offered another job at the University of Montana. What if I'd gone there?"

"You didn't," Danny said. "And it was logical to put an ocean between yourself and Durante."

"Yeah. How was I to know he had friends here?"

"In any case," Steve said. "We still need to keep an eye on you."

"So, what? Are you gonna follow me around campus all week?"

Steve smirked. "If I have to."

**H-5-O**

Steve wasn't exactly thrilled to be working with Detective Ahuna. After the little issue of Kono and the stolen money, Steve was wary of the other man. Still, when it had been discovered that the replacement money came from Governor Jameson, it was assumed that she was responsible. They couldn't prove anything when it came to Kono. One old lady's eye witness account wasn't enough.

And since Five-0 was reinstated by the new governor, Ahuna had been reasonable. Steve always worried a little, though, that the truth about the ten million dollars would come out. It was the one skeleton in the Five-0 closet.

When Ahuna showed up, he had a box full of files on Ricky Durante. Steve was a little surprised that there was so much. Leaving Mia in his office, Steve went out to the main room to see what Ahuna knew.

"Between 2000 and 2009 Ricky Durante traveled back and forth between here and LA several times a year," Ahuna said without preamble. "Supposedly business trips, but after some digging, we can't figure out exactly what his business was."

"And in 2009 he was arrested for assaulting Mia O'Brien?" Steve said.

"Yes. He was in prison for two years, released early for good behavior."

"Figures," Danny muttered.

"Other than that attack, Durante has a clean record," Ahuna said. "No parking tickets, no overdue library books. That's why we're so concerned at this point."

"We'll get him," Steve said. "If he has ties on this island, we'll find out."

"That's what LA is hoping. We've agreed to cooperation between our department and theirs, but we want Five-0 to lead this investigation."

Steve nodded. "Okay, but we also have to consider protecting Mia. If I can't watch her 24/7, we need an alternative."

"We can set up witness protection."

"But she doesn't know anything," Danny said.

"What would you suggest?"

"I think it would be better if one of us stayed with her. We might stand a better chance of catching Durante that way."

"By using her as bait?" Steve asked, a shocked tone clear in his voice.

"I did not say that. Did I say that?"

"Then what?"

"I just meant that if he comes after her, one of us will be there to take him out or arrest him. I'd feel better if it were one of us."

Steve nodded. "Okay. I'll see if she can stay with Kono for today. I wasn't going to call her in anyway."

"See? Now if you'd only listen to me all the time."

"I'd never get anything done." Steve turned and shook Ahuna's hand. "Thanks for everything. We'll let you know what we come up with."

**H-5-O**

Mia wasn't sure how well she liked being babysat. When Steve told her he was taking her over to Kono's place, Mia wondered how long this would go on. She had met Kono once. Maybe.

Staying at Steve's house had been one thing. She had just been attacked, it was late at night, and she was scared. But now, in the light of day, Mia wondered how she was going to function. She had classes to teach, meetings to attend, and a life to live. But living was a crucial part of that, so she didn't express her uncertainty yet.

Surprisingly, Steve seemed reluctant to leave her with Kono. As if he didn't think she would be safe away from him. It was sort of sweet and a little scary at the same time. Mia chose not to over-think it at the moment.

When Steve left, Kono was looking through the file he left her, and Mia sat at the kitchen counter of Kono's tiny apartment.

"Wow," Kono said as she finished reading. "You sure bounced back."

"What?" Mia asked.

"This lists your injuries from the first attack." Kono looked across the counter at Mia. "And I thought knee surgery was bad."

"It sounds worse than it was. I was on so much medication, I didn't know what was going on."

"You're a brave woman."

"How's that?"

"To have that happen to you and... I don't know, still trust people."

"What makes you think I trust people?"

"You called Steve after knowing him two days."

"I had little other choice."

"What about Danny? You know him better."

"Yes, and he has a wife and two children. Getting them involved would be stupid. And I have a thing about personal space, and he doesn't."

"I guess it makes sense. Still, you asked for help from a guy you hardly knew. That takes some courage."

"I guess so." Mia shrugged, not exactly comfortable with the conversation.

Kono must have noticed because she tapped her jaw lightly and asked, "Do you surf?"

After a moment of surprise, Mia replied, "Uh, I used to with my brothers. I haven't in a long time."

"What do you say to a reintroduction?"


	5. Bleeding

**Thank you for the responses so far to this story. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to comment.  
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**Chapter Five "Bleeding"**

Steve felt like his eyes were bleeding. Reading through the mounds of paperwork on Ricky Durante and trying to find something to help them was driving him insane. He really just wanted to be out looking for the SOB. But he was being reasonable. If they wanted him to go away forever, they had to get something more on him than attacking Mia. They had to wait.

Steve McGarrett hated waiting. He hated having to rely on other people to do what he needed done. HPD was looking for Durante. Kono was protecting Mia. Steve knew he couldn't do both, but he would have liked to at least do one or the other. Preferably, the latter, which surprised him.

No, he had to catch Durante in something much worse. Though, Steve wasn't sure anything could be worse than attacking a defenseless girl for no reason. But there had to be a reason. Steve didn't want to know, but he had a feeling it was key to understanding why Durante did what he did, and thereby apprehending him.

Steve found himself in his office on Sunday afternoon, not sure how he got there. He'd been on a semi-blind date on Friday. Very uncharacteristic. He'd been on a second date Saturday afternoon. To a lecture. Looking back, it did seem odd. Then there was Saturday night. All the happiness Steve had experienced in those two days seemed irrelevant. And he had been happy. Mia was incredible, and he hardly knew why.

But all that was on hold. Or over. Steve hated to think that, but it was all a little much. After what Mia had been through, she could hardly be expected to take on the drama of dating Steve. Not that Steve was dramatic, but his life was without his permission.

Looking down at the sea of papers, Steve knew he needed to focus. He couldn't be thinking of his relationship or lack thereof with Mia. It wasn't important now. And, like it or not, Steve wasn't actually responsible for keeping her safe.

When Danny came into his office, Steve almost didn't bother looking up.

"Hey," Danny said. "Chin's here to help out. I thought you could use a break."

"Huh?" Steve met Danny's eyes. "Break?"

"Yeah. It's what you do after you've been staring at convoluted files for five hours. You get some food, maybe some coffee, and you come back. Makes things so much easier for all concerned."

"I know what a break is, Danny."

"Yeah. Sure looks like it. Come on. I am starving, and you are too."

"I'm not hungry."

"Did I say you had a choice? Remember what I said about partners? We do things together and all that. This is not optional. Up." Danny motioned upward with his hands as if that would raise Steve from his seat. When he didn't move, Danny crossed his arms. "Don't make me haul your ass outta here."

"Try."

Danny was surprised at Steve's resistance. And angry. "Hey! Snap out of it. I want to find him too, but we _need_ to take a break. You have to stop acting like you're the only person who can do anything around here. You are not solely responsible for fixing everything. Now, I know you feel strongly about this—"

Steve stood up suddenly, silencing Danny. "Let's go," he said.

**H-5-O**

Mia was rusty when it came to surfing. She tried to remember the last time she went. It was two years ago with her middle brother, Kirk right before she left LA. The two of them had always been the closest because they were both middle children and had a lot in common. They still did. Kirk had always been the best surfer too, except when they were little, and Morgan, their oldest brother helped teach them how. Mia secretly believed that their youngest brother, Zachary, just enjoyed wiping out because he'd never been good at surfing, but he liked it.

Kono was in another league though. Mia's family had surfed for fun, but Kono was serious on the waves. Not that she wasn't happy. She actually looked ecstatic, but Mia could tell there was something a lot more solemn for Kono than her own casual relationship with the waves.

Unfortunately, the surfing had to stop when Mia ran her knee into a rock. As she helped her out of the water, Kono hissed at the blood dripping down Mia's leg.

"Hey, my uncle's got a shave ice shop up the beach," Kono said. "He could probably help us get that cleaned up."

"Yeah," Mia said, leaning on her surfboard and holding her right leg off the ground. "It doesn't seem too bad, but it stings, and it's bleeding a lot."

"Here." Kono handed her a towel. "I'll put our stuff in the car, and then I'll help you over there."

"Wait. Hand me my skirt."

Kono pulled Mia's sarong out of her bag, not sure why she wanted it, but not bothering to ask. She was surprised when she got back to find Mia wearing it and trying to keep it from getting blood on it.

"You know," Kono said, almost laughing. "It would have been easier if you'd left it off."

"Yeah..." Mia looked down at her knee. "I don't like wandering around in my swimsuit."

Kono shrugged. Though she had no idea why, she understood the fact that some people weren't as comfortable with little clothing as she was.

It didn't take long to get to Kamekona's and he saw them coming.

"You pick up another haole?" he asked. "At least tell me this one surfs."

"How do you think she got this?" Kono asked, pointing at Mia's knee.

Kamekona put up his hands. "I was only kidding," he said. "Don't you worry; I'll fix you right up."

Kono rolled her eyes and helped Mia sit down. "He was talking about Danny," she said.

Mia laughed. "I've heard reports that he hates the ocean," she said.

"The Pacific anyway."

"Makes you wonder why he decided to stay after he and Rachel got back together."

Kono shook her head. "Not really," she said. "He was needed more here. And I don't think he'd have the heart to leave now."

"I'm not sure I follow."

Kono smiled. "It's Steve. Well, all of us, but mostly Steve. If I were you, I'd feel pretty honored that Danny thought you were right for him."

"I guess I haven't been around long enough to understand."

"When Steve was accused of killing Governor Jameson, Danny stayed here instead of going to Jersey with Rachel. He almost single-handedly cleared Steve. The two of them are like brothers if that makes sense."

"It does. I have three."

"Lucky you." Kono was only half sarcastic.

Kamekona came back outside with two shave ice cones along with his first-aid kit. Kono smiled and gave Mia a knowing look.

"You wipe out pretty bad?" Kamekona asked, looking at Mia's face.

Embarrassed and increasingly uncomfortable, Mia replied, "No, that was something else. It's just my knee."

**H-5-O**

Steve didn't know sitting all day could make someone so exhausted. Maybe Danny was right. He shook his head as he got out of his truck and walked up to Kono's apartment. Inside, Mia was sitting on the couch. It looked like she was grading papers with a pair of black reading glasses perched on the end of her nose. Kono was on the floor, stretching. Steve wasn't surprised at either.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Fine," Kono replied, getting up. "Well, there was a little surfing incident, but nothing serious."

Steve looked to Mia for an explanation and she seemed to know, without returning his gaze.

"A bit out of practice," she said and flipped a page. "Sharp rock, soft knee."

Steve was half amused and half annoyed that she wasn't really paying any attention to him. He really shouldn't have been annoyed, but he was.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure." Mia stuffed the papers in her lap into her bag and slipped on her shoes. Standing up, she looked at Steve expectantly.

"I'll take tomorrow," he said. "Danny and Chin will let you know what's going on."

"All right," Kono said. "See you later, Mia."

As they left, Steve tried to get his mind off the horrible day. He knew Mia couldn't have been exactly happy with being watched all the time and he thought he might as well try to be good company. He wasn't exactly doing a good job.

When they got back to Steve's house, Mia returned to her grading, and Steve let her have some time alone. He wasn't sure what he would say to her anyway. He could tell her what was going on with the case, but he got the impression she really didn't want to talk about it. And making small talk, or trying to make things like the were before just seemed wrong.

So, Steve stood on his deck, watching the waves roll in from the sunset and wondering if he'd ever get the chance to start over with Mia, if she would even want to.


	6. Brothers Part I

**Chapter Six "Brothers Part I"**

When Steve came back downstairs later that evening, he heard Mia talking on the phone. He knew he probably shouldn't have listened, but he did.

"No," she was saying. "No, Mom, don't come here... I'm okay. I'm safe... No, please don't tell Morgan... Because he would be on the first flight out here, dragging Kirk and Zach with him and they'd all do something stupid... Yeah, I know. Just don't tell them, okay? When this is all over, I'll—I'll come up for a visit... I love you too, Mom. Tell Dad and the boys I love them... bye."

Steve heard Mia sigh softly and toss her phone onto the coffee table. He understood her worries about her brothers. He knew if anything like what happened to Mia happened to Mary Ann, he would be in LA before she knew it. It was just what brothers did. Thinking of that, Steve wondered if that was how Mia saw him now. He hoped not.

"They mean well," Mia said, and Steve realized that she knew he was there.

He came down the rest of the stairs and sat across from her. "Sorry for eavesdropping," he said.

Mia shook her head. "It's fine. I just needed to let my parents know what was going on. I'm sure they'll tell my brothers anyway."

Steve nodded. "Being an older brother, I can understand. I mean, I'm not all that close with my sister, but if someone hurt her, I'd be there."

"Which is why I don't want them to know."

"But you know that's not gonna happen."

"Right... I really hope they don't come, but I'm afraid they will."

"Would it be such a bad thing?"

"Could be. I mean, when Ricky went to prison, they were satisfied. Now that he's out again, I don't know what they'll do."

"What do they do? For a living I mean."

"There's the irony. Morgan is an ADA. Kirk is an audio/visual consultant, and Zach... well, he's a taxi driver."

"So not cops or assassins or anything."

Mia laughed. "No, why?"

Steve shrugged. "Less to be worried about if they do try to go after Durante... except their own safety I suppose."

"Exactly. Though, I wouldn't underestimate them. I mean, they haven't got anything like your skills, I'm sure, but I think Morgan could kill with a glare."

"Then maybe they can make themselves useful."

"Oh, I certainly hope not."

Steve nodded, understanding her feelings completely. She didn't want her family involved. It made perfect sense. But Steve got the feeling that he would become acquainted with Mia's family very soon.

**H-5-O**

On Monday morning, Steve wore his button down shirt closed and a light jacket to hide his gun and badge. He also stuck with jeans and street shoes because he figured it would blend in better on a college campus.

"Are you sure you can take that?" Mia asked about his gun.

"I called the president of the university and informed him of the situation," Steve said. "I also called the head of your department and the campus security office. Everyone who needs to know does. You can just tell your students I'm one of your brothers."

"No, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I have pictures of my family all over my office. Someone would remember. I mean, in the dark, you might pass for Morgan, but it's a long shot."

"Okay, then what will keep them from asking questions?"

"I could just say you're my friend. It's easy and true."

Steve nodded and didn't bother mentioning that their "friendship" started as dating. It really wasn't the time for that. But other professors might recognize him from the lecture on Saturday, so he was sure it would get around that they were seeing each other. Even if they didn't anymore.

When they got to the campus, Mia had about an hour in her office before her first class. Steve took the time to become acquainted with her immediate surroundings. He familiarized himself with all the building entrances and looked for hiding places.

Once that was done, Steve looked around Mia's office as she was finishing grading some papers. She did have a lot of pictures of her family. Steve could tell who was who. Morgan was obviously the oldest brother at about six feet tall, and had the most severe features of all of them: dark eyes, sharp jaw, and dark brown hair. Kirk looked closer to Mia's age, and while he had the same slick, black eyebrows as the rest of them, his hair was lighter, possibly because it was very short. Zachary was only an inch or two taller than Mia and had wavy dark hair. He smiled a lot.

Mia's parents looked happy in all the pictures, often watching their children. Steve imagined they were proud of all of them. Altogether, they seemed like a perfect family. He felt a twinge of guilt at his own jealousy. He hardly remembered a time his family was that happy.

"Ready?" Mia asked, bringing Steve out of his thoughts.

Steve turned to see her standing by the door. "Yeah," he said, putting on a fake smile. "What's your first class?"

Mia seemed to notice his mood, but didn't say anything. "English 101," she said. "Or as my students seem to think of it, hell."

**H-5-O**

Steve made it through Mia's school day without incident. She was really quite proud of him for lasting through two sections each of 101, and 102, along with her various literature classes without a single complaint. But she did wonder what would happen if this went on. How would she be able to explain having a shadow with her every day? Perhaps the truth would have to come out. Or maybe they would find Ricky before then. Mia tried to be optimistic.

When they got back to Steve's house, he immediately went upstairs, and Mia decided to let him be. He had been quiet ever since that morning, and she wasn't about to invade his space. Sometimes, she thought she probably should say something, but she didn't. If Steve wanted her to know, he would have told her.

Mia shook her head as she curled up on the couch. She wasn't that open, why should she expect him to be? It was ironic. Here she was living with the guy she was supposed to be dating and she knew hardly anything about him. To be fair, he didn't know much about her either. Not much of substance anyway.

Mia switched on the TV, hoping to ignore her warring thoughts. Of course, there was nothing good on, and Mia wasn't about to watch the evening news.

As the TV screen went black, Mia sighed. She wasn't sure what had just become of her life, but she knew things could have been so much easier if she weren't so stubborn. In an effort to appear strong, she had probably sent the message that she wanted to be left alone. That she wasn't interested in Steve. And it wasn't as if she could just say that to him because truthfully, she didn't know how interested she was or how alone she wanted to be.

Mia was so deep in thought that she jumped when her phone rang. She was only half surprised to see who was calling.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," came the reply, somewhat irritated if Mia heard right.

"I guess Mom told you."

"Yeah... Why didn't you tell us yourself, Mia?"

"Because... You know."

There was a humorless chuckle from the other end. "Yeah. I know. Listen, have you heard from Morgan?"

"No. Why?"

"Because after Mom told us, he went home, and I can't reach him. I tried calling the house, but Kyra wouldn't say where he went."

"I think we both know what that means."

"Yeah. Means I'm gonna kick his ass when I get down there."

"Kirk, don't. This won't help anything. _If_ Morgan comes here, I'm sending him straight home. And anyway, you couldn't kick his ass if he had one hand tied behind his back."

"You don't get it, do you? You think you can always brush things off like they're nothing. This guy tried to kill you, Bug. And now he's out again. Where should we be, but by your side?"

Mia smiled softly at Kirk's nickname for her. "I understand, Beetle," she said, using her nickname for him. "I just don't want any of you getting hurt."

"Don't worry. We just want to be with you."

"I'm not sure Morgan would agree."

"Then you'll need my help restraining him, okay?"

Mia couldn't argue. "Okay," she said, smiling wider. "I'll see you soon."

"Love you, Bug."

"Love you, Beetle."


	7. Brothers Part II

**Chapter Seven "Brothers Part II"**

"Beetle?" Steve asked coming down the stairs.

Mia looked up at him, surprised. "You know," she said. "You really shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations."

"Even when they're very interesting?"

"Especially then."

"Well, I'm sorry. It seemed like something I might need to know about."

Mia sighed. "Yeah. Morgan's probably coming here, and Kirk is following him."

"So, who's Beetle?"

"Never mind."

"What?"

"It's just a silly nickname. Kirk called me Bug and I called him Beetle. Happy?"

"Sure. Why would you not want to tell me?"

"Because... I don't know, didn't your family ever have an embarrassing name for you?"

"Hmm... My sister used to call me all sorts of not nice things. You know."

"Yeah. I think I try to forget all that and just remember the silly ones. We used to call Morgan Pookie."

Steve laughed. "Why?"

"It's a misnomer. I guess it was our way of making him endearing. He hated it, especially when he started dating. Mom made us stop calling him that for a while. When I first met his wife, Kyra, I accidentally called him that. She still married him, so it must not have been so bad."

"I never had a name that embarrassing. My mom use to call me knucklehead." Steve suddenly realized that he had said that out loud. It had been years since he had shared something so personal about his mother.

Mia seemed to notice the change in his demeanor. "Why'd she call you that?" she asked softly.

Steve smiled sadly. "Because it was completely accurate," he said. "My mother had the patience of a saint. She'd tell me to do something, and I would seriously forget it two minutes later."

"Sounds like Zach," Mia said, looking a little wistful. "He's sweet, but a little spacey."

"Well, I grew out of it." Steve sounded like he was sorry for that. Like he wished he could be that kid again.

"You really miss your parents." Mia said it as a fact. As if she were telling Steve rather than asking him.

"Yeah," he said, barely whispering. He cleared his throat. "Are you hungry?"

**H-5-O**

Mia could foresee problems. Two people as closed off as she and Steve were had no business taking a relationship seriously. And Mia never had casual relationships. Danny had told her that Steve's previous girlfriend hadn't been all that serious. Maybe Steve could do that, but Mia couldn't. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she wasn't ready to be in a serious relationship.

It was times like these, Mia wished she could ignore logic and reason, that she could be spontaneous. But years of being careful had made her resistant to change. And even with all her barriers, someone had still managed to hurt her. He had wrapped his slimy tentacles so tightly around her heart that it had been disgustingly easy to rip it out and crush it. As tempting as the idea was, Mia was not going to let anyone have that kind of power over her again.

Mia folded her arms over her knees as she sat curled up on the couch once more after dinner. Steve was sitting at the other end of the couch, looking extremely bored as he tried to watch TV.

"Are you okay?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" Mia didn't try to hide the surprise in her voice.

"You've been quiet."

"I'm a quiet person... and you have too."

Mia saw a faint smirk at the corner of Steve's mouth. But then he was serious again. "Are you upset that your bothers are coming?"

"That's not a good word for it. I haven't seen them in two years. Selfishly, I'm happy, but under the circumstances, I'm worried."

"I know how you feel. I'm always afraid my sister will up and decide to come back here and... Well, let's just say my family has a lot of enemies. But I'll make sure nothing happens to them."

Mia nodded, staring off across the room. She recognized that Steve was opening up a little bit, but she wasn't sure she wanted to reciprocate. She could tell there was a lot more to what he said, but that he didn't want to elaborate. She also knew that he would if she gave him something back. But the profound angst in Mia's life was buried so far, it would take a lot more to bring it out. So, she said nothing and saw the disappointment in Steve's eyes.

**H-5-O**

It was late Monday night, and Mia had gone upstairs to go over her notes for the next day's classes. Steve could see the way she withdrew after their last conversation, but he didn't know how to stop her. He knew she had to be feeling a million different emotions at once, but she didn't let it show. She was surprisingly cold about everything involving their present difficulties. She didn't seem afraid or angry. In fact the most emotion Steve had seen from her had been Saturday night, and that wasn't as much as it could have been.

Steve was caught between the desire to help Mia and the fear of what might lie behind her intricate mask. Steve knew about masks. He had several of them. But ever since he had come home, he had tried to let them down. It was still a process, but he was better off than he had been. But how to help Mia was another story.

Steve wasn't sure if it was the way they hit it off or something else that made him so concerned about her. All he knew was that he had to do something. He couldn't let her hide away behind her books and deceptively genuine smile.

A knock at the door, pulled Steve out of his thoughts. He wasn't sure what to expect as he slowly walked toward the door and disarmed the security system. The man standing outside the house looked strangely familiar.

"Steve McGarrett?" he asked.

Steve nodded with some hesitation.

"Morgan O'Brien." The man offered his hand.

Steve shook it and stood aside to let Morgan in. "Mia's upstairs," he said. "You wanna tell me what you're doing here?"

Morgan almost seemed amused. "I had a friend at LAPD trace her phone for me. I need to make sure she's okay."

"You couldn't have just called her?"

"If you know my sister at all, McGarrett, you know she tries to minimize everything."

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "I'll tell her you're here." He rearmed the alarm and started up the stairs, until he saw Mia standing at the top. She had changed into her sweats and wore her black reading glasses on her nose again. Her eyes were wide, though not in surprise. It was as if she were trying to decide whether to be excited or angry.

Steve decided it would be best to leave them alone, so he went up the rest of the stairs. As he passed Mia, he couldn't resist brushing her arm lightly. It was meant to be reassuring, but even in that split second touch, he could feel her pull away.

**H-5-O**

Mia still stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at her brother. She had expected him, but she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She hadn't seen any of her family since she moved, but this was not the sort of reunion she had wanted.

Morgan waited, as if he could read the struggle in her eyes. He was always patient.

"You shouldn't have come," Mia finally said.

Morgan shook his head. "You knew I had to," he said.

She nodded and came the rest of the way down the stairs. "It's not that bad." But she didn't really believe the words. She knew Morgan was taking in the bruises still obvious on her face, the healing cuts, and the marks that looked like fingers on her neck. She could see the shadows of tears in his eyes as he thought of what must have happened to cause all that. She knew he couldn't let it go.

"I should have been here," he whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous," Mia said, a little more harshly than she intended. "No one could have foreseen this."

"No, I should have. I should have known from the beginning he was no good. I shouldn't have let that son of a bitch anywhere near you."

"Just stop! Okay?" Mia walked out into the middle of the living room. "You don't get to feel responsible. I am the one who made the choices that got me here. Me, not you. I'm not a little girl, Morgan, and I wasn't then either."

Morgan followed Mia, standing squarely in front of her. "He's gonna pay."

"No." Mia grabbed the collar of his shirt. "You listen to me, Morgan Alexander O'Brien. You are getting right back on that plane and going home. There's nothing you can do here."

Morgan met his sister's eyes and his expression softened. "There is one thing," he said and leaned forward to hug her.

Mia couldn't escape her brother's strong arms, and she didn't want to. She hadn't realized until just then how long it had been since she had wanted someone to touch her like that. Two years she spent alone and now she wasn't anymore. It was then she knew that she couldn't make Morgan leave if she wanted to and she didn't anymore.


	8. Brothers Part III

**The interest in this story seems to be waning. Are you guys still reading? Have constructive comments? Let me know.  
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**Chapter Eight "Brothers Part III"**

Steve wished for a split second that he was Morgan O'Brien. It was purely an accident that he looked at the monitor he had set up in his room to watch the whole house. For a moment, he couldn't tear his eyes away as he watched Mia hug her brother. Irrational jealousy welled up inside Steve, and he had to take a step back. Of course Mia would be more comfortable with Morgan than she was with him.

Still, Steve couldn't help but wish he could do that for her. It was all he had wanted to do since he found her, bruised and bleeding on the beach. He had thought it meant something that she called him for help, but now he was beginning to see that he was the only one she could call. Her other choice, Danny, had no concept of personal space. And Mia seemed to need her space like she needed air to breathe.

Steve was beginning to realize what that meant and it scared him. It meant, he couldn't help Mia because she couldn't trust him. She could trust him to keep her safe from any outside physical threat, but she couldn't let him past her barriers. She couldn't let him in.

Steve sighed as he laid back on his bed. He had spent the last two days trying to figure out what he could do for Mia, only to find out he couldn't do a damn thing. Of course he was happy her brother could. But there was that jealousy again. He wished it could have been him.

Steve was brought out of these thoughts when his phone rang. It was Danny, no surprise. Still, Steve was glad of the distraction.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Be more specific," Danny replied.

"How's the case coming?"

"Weirdly."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've been comparing police reports with crime scene reports, and something doesn't add up."

"With the first or second time?"

"The first. Everything seems cut and dry with the second, but in the first we have blood where there shouldn't be blood and broken furniture and so forth. I'm thinking maybe Mia forgot some things or blacked out. It wouldn't be surprising."

"So, how does this help us?"

"Well, the inconsistencies are significant enough, I think you should ask her about it. I'll e-mail you the reports so you can see what I mean."

"So, if she did forget something, what good would it do?"

"Maybe none for the case, but there may be things she needs to deal with."

"Are you suggesting—"

"I don't know, Steve. I don't want to go there, but something doesn't add up. We just need to know what really happened. It might tell us more about our guy too."

"I know. I just... I don't think I could get any more out of her than the police did back then."

"What? Why not?"

"She's closed off, Danny. I don't know if it's what happened or just the way she is, but she's not very responsive to me."

Danny was silent for a moment. "That's odd. I thought she really liked you."

Steve sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "That's neither here nor there. She doesn't want to tell me anything."

"You gotta try. She could be keeping back a lot more than she thinks."

"I know." Steve rested his head against his free hand. "I'm gonna keep staying with her instead of switching off. It'll be easier that way. So let me know if there are any other developments."

"Yeah, sure. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. And I've got help now. Mia's brother is here. And the other two might show up any minute."

"Wow... Let me know if you need anything. Rachel wants to come over and see Mia. I told her I'd see what you thought."

"I don't know. I'll call her tomorrow."

"Okay. Good luck."

"Yeah, you too."

Steve hung up and tossed his phone on the bedside table as he laid back down. He knew he should check on Mia and Morgan, but he just wanted to close his eyes and never open them. He was not looking forward to tomorrow.

**H-5-O**

Mia hugged her knees to her chest as she sat facing her oldest brother on Steve's couch. She had told him the short version of the events of the past few days.

"So you two are dating?" he asked.

"Technically... I guess. I hadn't planned on dealing with all this and that at the same time. Right now, he's my fierce protector, and unlike you, he has legal grounds to shoot people."

"You make me feel like chopped liver."

"Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I told Kirk he couldn't kick your ass if you had one arm tied behind your back."

"Not that he doesn't try." Morgan smirked.

"Still wrestling in Mom and Dad's living room?"

"Keeps me in shape. You know, I have to be able to outrun the kids."

"They're five and six."

"And endlessly energetic."

Mia smiled. "It's good to know. Hey, where are you staying?"

"I... don't know. Maybe I'll sleep in my car."

"You can stay here."

Mia and Morgan turned to see Steve on the stairs. Morgan shook his head.

"I couldn't."

"I have another room," Steve argued. "And I think it's better that I keep an eye on both of you."

Morgan looked at Mia who smiled at him. "Okay," he said. "Is it all that dangerous?"

"We don't know. At this point, I'm not taking any chances."

Morgan nodded and stood up. "I guess I'll get my things."

Steve disarmed the alarm once again and let Morgan outside. Across the room, Mia stood and walked over to him. She stopped when she reached bubble distance.

"Thank you," she said, for the first time showing something in her eyes. "It's... really great of you to do this."

"I told you," Steve said. "I want to."

Mia nodded, and the mask went up again. She disappeared up the stairs and Steve hoped that small look was a foreshadowing of things to come.

**H-5-O**

When Steve came inside from his swim the next morning, Mia and Morgan were already up making breakfast.

"I should have house-guests more often," Steve said and tried to steal a piece of bacon from a plate on the counter. Mia swatted his hand and for a second, Steve didn't register that she had actually touched him of her own free will as he smiled down at her.

"The bacon will be counted," Mia said, waving a finger in his face. "Kirk and Zach will be here soon and they are very particular about that."

"Seriously?" Steve tried not to laugh.

Morgan nodded with a very solemn look in his eyes. "Those two could argue for an hour who had the most while the last piece gets cold."

Mia shook her head. "It never got cold," she said. "You or I ate it by then."

"Remind me never to have your brothers and Danny at the same table," Steve said.

Mia nodded. "Man's serious about his food."

"When are they getting here?" Steve asked.

Morgan checked his watch. "About now," he said, and tossed off the apron he was wearing. Steve noticed that like the night before, Morgan wore slacks and a nice shirt. And here Steve was in his swimming shorts and damp t-shirt.

"Is the alarm on?" Morgan asked.

"No, I turned it off when I went out," Steve said.

Morgan nodded and headed for the door. Steve thought about following him, curious about Mia's other two brothers, but he thought he should stay with her.

"You didn't have to do all this," he said, indicating the food.

Mia cocked her head. "So I should just invite my entire family over and not do anything?" she asked.

"I just didn't want you to feel like you had to."

"You've been more than generous. It's the least I can do."

"That just makes me feel worse about what I have to ask you."

"What do you mean?"

"Danny called last night and sent me the reports from your first attack. There are things that don't match."

"What? What do you mean, 'don't match'? I told the police everything."

"I know. Danny thinks maybe you forgot something, or left something out accidentally. Either way, I have to ask you to tell me what happened."

Steve could see the way Mia's hand clenched around the edge of the counter, though her eyes remained calm.

"We don't have to talk about it now," he went on. "But sometime today."

Then Mia looked confused. "I thought you were going back to work."  
>Steve shook his head. "I thought it would be better if I stayed with you the whole time. It'll be easier on everyone."<p>

Mia nodded, but forgot what she was nodding about when she heard shouting coming from the living room.


	9. Brothers Part IV

**For those of you waiting for Kono to make a reappearance, she will be back soon and have more of an important role in later chapters.  
><strong>

**Chapter Nine "Brothers Part IV"**

Mia ran out into the living room with Steve on her heels. What she saw was only half surprising, but it was disappointing. She watched as Kirk pushed Morgan against the wall. Morgan only held out his hands, trying to calm his younger brother down.

"Don't give me that," Kirk was saying. "You think you can just ride off into the sunset like the freaking lone ranger and leave everyone else in the dark. She's my sister too!"

Mia cleared her throat. Zach, who had been standing near the door, as if to avoid the conflict looked toward her and his eyes lit up.

"Mia!" he said and hurried past his brothers, now ignoring them.

Mia held out her arms to hug her little brother. He was only about an inch taller than her and looked much younger, though he was only about three years younger. As they finished their hug, Kirk was standing with his arms crossed, as if waiting.

"Ah, ah, ah," Mia said, when he came closer. She put her hand in the middle of his chest as if to hold him at arms length. "What do you say?" she asked.

Kirk dipped his head. "Sorry," he said.

Mia rolled her eyes. "Not to me, moron."

Kirk sighed and turned half way around. "Sorry, Morgan." He turned back to Mia, smiling, and opened his arms.

Mia grinned back and hugged him tightly. "Behave," she whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek.

"Love you, Bug," he whispered back.

Mia leaned back, her arms still resting around Kirk's neck. "A little too much sometimes," she said.

Kirk smiled and kissed her forehead. "It's good to see you again."

Mia slapped his arm. "You too, Beetle." She turned to see Steve leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Well," he said. "I'm eating all the bacon." He turned to go back to the kitchen, and Mia smiled at how easily he was letting her family intrude on his space. She had meant it when she said he was generous, but she had no idea how much. It was one more reason she should be completely in love with him. But she wasn't. Or wouldn't let herself be.

**H-5-O**

As Steve walked back through the hallway, Zach was close behind him. The others were still in the living room talking.

"Mia's gonna tell them to stop arguing," Zach said, "but they won't."

They reached the kitchen, and Steve handed him a plate. "Are they always like this."

Zach shook his head. "Worse. But at the end of the day, you don't mess with them. They'll end up ganging up on you."

"I take it you've had a lot of personal experience with this."

"I'm the little brother. I was tormented as a child... Still."

Steve laughed. "Isn't that what brothers are for?"

Zach shrugged. "Yeah, but I'll get them back. I thought I'd help you eat all the food before they get here."

By this time, Steve and Zach had filled their plates and went to sit at the table.

"So, you're Steve?" Zach said as they sat down.

Steve looked confused. "Yes," he said slowly.

"Mia told us about you. She said you went to one of her lectures."

"Yeah."

Zach's expression was something like admiration. "You're a brave man. I had to go to her things when she was teaching at UCLA. I really tried not to fall asleep... Anyway you must really like her."

Steve found himself completely off guard. There didn't seem to be any other option but to tell Zach the truth. "Yes," he said. "And I enjoyed listening to her."

Zach nodded. "She told us. She said you were 'surprising'. Whatever that means."

Steve couldn't help a small smile. "I guess she didn't think a guy like me would be interested in academic things."

"I would completely understand if you weren't. I mean, the whole process is oppressive. Everyone talks about free thinking, but no one really means it."

Steve began to see what Mia meant when she talked about her youngest brother. Perhaps he had ADHD or something.

"Anyway," Zach went on. "It's really great that she found you. She doesn't usually trust people so easily."

"I didn't realize she trusted me more than was necessary given the circumstances."

"You have to rate her on a different scale. She trusts by degrees. Kirk the most, if you hadn't noticed."

"I had."

"Yeah. He's her favorite, but don't tell anyone, it's supposed to be a big secret."

"I won't tell." Steve smirked. Zach wasn't exactly the sort of person he could understand, but he liked him anyway. He seemed genuine.

**H-5-O**

Mia was just happy that Morgan and Kirk weren't yelling at each other anymore. It was embarrassing, not to mention upsetting. But she knew it wasn't over. Kirk was mad at Morgan for leaving without him and Morgan was mad at Kirk for being mad.

Still, Mia managed to get them to comply with her long enough to have breakfast. When they got to the dining room, Steve and Zach were almost finished, but Zach was going back for seconds.

"Steve," Mia said as she sat down at the table. "This is my brother, Kirk." She nodded to her right where Kirk was sitting next to her. "And he _apologizes_ for assaulting your wall with his brother."

Kirk cleared his throat. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Steve smiled. "Much worse things have happened to my house," he said.

"I _have_ heard stories about that," Mia said.

"Skewed by Danny's tendency toward hyperbole, no doubt."

"I don't know. Did you really have to fight off mercenaries?"

"Yes."

"And they almost killed you?"

Steve shrugged. "That is debatable."

"So how did he hyperobolize?"

"That's so not a word," Zach said.

"Is," Mia argued.

"Are you seriously gonna argue with her, Zach?" Kirk asked.

"I reserve the right to as many exercises in futility as I please," Zach said. "Hey, we should go surfing."

"I have to go to work," Mia said, standing up.

"You're still working?" Morgan asked.

"Illiteracy waits for no man."

Morgan crossed his arms. "You're a college professor."

"Point being, yes, I am still working."

"Don't you have a TA or something?"

"You need to stop before I help Kirk throw you into the ocean."

Morgan put up his hands as if in surrender, but they both knew it wasn't over. In the midst of their conversation, Steve had gone upstairs to change. When he came back, he left a piece of paper on the counter.

"Alarm code," he said. "And directions to Five-0 HQ. You guys might have information that could help us. So, if you could stop by there sometime today, we would appreciate it."

**H-5-O**

The ride to the school started out silently until Mia turned in her seat to look at Steve.

"I'm sorry about them," she said.

Steve tilted his head to one side. "Sorry for what?" he asked.

"The generally bad behavior."

Steve shook his head. "They're just being normal brothers. Zach seems nice."

"You managed to have a conversation with Zach. Congratulations. Usually it's a lot of disjointed thoughts on whatever happens to pop into his mind."

"There was a little of that... No, he said I must really like you."

Mia bit her lip and stared straight ahead. "Was he wrong?" she asked, not really wanting the answer either way. She wasn't ready to deal with it.

Steve sighed. "No."

"Oh."

"The trouble is," Steve said, "I want to help, but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do."

"But you have." Mia was aware that the tone of her voice was more emotional than she would like it to be. "Everything you've done has made my life easier; trust me."

"Okay... So, what do I have to do to know what's going on in your head?"

"Nothing... I mean, I don't know what you want to know."

"That you can't just be all calm and collected all the time. No one is. Even I'm not. But you want people to think you are." Steve's gaze drifted from the road to the rearview mirror where he could just see Mia's left eye and back to the road again.

"There's no middle ground for me," Mia said. "It's this, or the worst sort of female angst you've ever seen."

"You don't like it, do you?"

"What?"

"Being emotional. At all."

"You make it sound like I'm some kind of robot."

"I didn't mean that."

"Yeah... It's easy for you. People don't expect you to talk about your feelings. Everyone thinks I should. But I don't see how it's relevant."

"Zach said you trusted me, but I don't believe him."

"You should. I know you'll keep me safe."

"But you don't feel like it. And in your world where feelings don't matter, that seems okay to you. Sometimes you can't be logical, and you have to deal with that before you can move on."

"I went to the counselors, Steve. Did everything a _victim_ is supposed to do. It was a long time ago; I'm over it."

"Saturday wasn't a long time ago."

"That was nothing."

Steve shook his head. "It was everything."


	10. Nothing and Everything

**So sorry I didn't update my other chapters yesterday for those of you who read those stories. My life has decided that I don't need spare time anymore. So, I'll probably be updating those next week. However, this story has fourteen chapters already written. Enjoy!  
><strong>

**Chapter Ten "Nothing and Everything"**

Danny wasn't sure Steve spending so much time with Mia was a good idea. From their conversation last night, Steve was frustrated and didn't see any sign of that changing any time soon. Danny had been aware of Mia's guarded personality before he even introduced her to Steve. He had hoped that Steve would be the one to bring her out of herself. From the sound of things, the opposite was happening.

And then there were the conflicting reports. Danny didn't want to think of what might have happened to Mia that she either blocked it out of her memory or intentionally left it out. His one reassurance was that if something more had happened it would have showed up in the medical report. Still, something didn't add up.

Danny was pulled out of his thoughts when three very different looking men walked in. Danny was, at first, surprised, but he quickly realized who they were. Despite the fact that not one of them looked or dressed like another, they all had the same eyes. Mia's eyes.

"Detective Williams?" the older, more well dressed man asked.

"Yes," Danny replied. "You must be Morgan." He shook his hand and looked at the others.

"We were told we could be of assistance," Morgan said.

"Of course." Danny nodded and motioned toward the conference room. The three brothers walked ahead of him, and the older two seemed to be competing, trying to stay one step before the other. Danny hoped they wouldn't prove to be difficult.

When they all sat down, Danny told them about his concerns. "I've been looking through all the old case files," he said. "According to LAPD, Ricky Durante has connections here, so we think he's around for more than just your sister.

Morgan nodded as if he already knew. "At this point," he said. "The DA doesn't care whether they get him there or here, so long as he's put away."

"You knew about this?" the second brother asked with an angry tone.

"What is it you think I do for a living, Kirk?" Morgan responded, equally agitated.

"Hey, hey," Danny said, putting his hands up to stop them. "How much do you know about the case?" Danny asked.

"Everything they sent you, I'm sure," Morgan replied. "I wasn't allowed to be involved when it came to Mia, but the drugs and weapons were fair game. That's what we want him on anyway."

"Then I guess it's not worth much to ask you about the first attack?"

"What do you mean?"

"There are things in the original reports that don't add up. Crime scene photos and evidence don't match Mia's statement."

"So you think she lied?" Kirk asked, the tone still present.

"Not necessarily," Danny said. "She may have lost consciousness, blocked it out, or thought it didn't matter, but everything matters. Every detail. You guys were close with Durante while he was seeing Mia, right?"

They all nodded. "He was like our brother," the younger one said. His name was Zach, Danny remembered.

"But it was all a lie," Kirk said, shaking his head. "We don't actually _know_ anything about who he really is."

"Anything is helpful. What kind of food he liked. What he liked to do in his free time. I mean, I know it's not much, but it's something."

"He likes Chinese food," Zach said suddenly. "Like insanely. But I guess you have a lot of that around here."

"When you knew him, did he talk about going to Hawaii?"

"No," Morgan said. "He had a lot of business trips, but he said they were all over the place. I don't think he ever _said_ he was going to Hawaii."

**H-5-O**

Steve and Mia had been quiet since the ride to the school. They sat at lunch, not making eye contact, trying to act like things were normal. But they both knew something had to give. Finally, Mia decided it was about time she said something.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she said quietly, almost acting like she hadn't said anything as she stared down at her plate.

"What?" Steve asked looking at her.

"I didn't mean to be so... detached," she said, still not meeting Steve's eyes. "I know I haven't exactly been very helpful."

"Helpful in what?"

He was going to make her come out with it. This wasn't what Mia had planned. A general apology was one thing. Confessing her feelings was another. And she wouldn't do it.

"I haven't made this easy for you, okay?" she said. "And I didn't want to do that."

"But that doesn't mean you're going to change."

Mia finally met Steve's eyes. "What is this? I was trying to apologize."

"No you weren't. You were trying to keep me at arm's length." Steve looked out the window for a second. "And I'm getting a little tired of it," he said, turning back to Mia.

Mia bit the inside of her mouth to keep from saying something that would escalate this "conversation." She knew Steve was frustrated with her, but she had no idea how much.

"You want to help me?" Mia said.

Steve nodded.

"Then try to understand. With me it's all or nothing. And nothing's a hell of a lot easier than everything. Especially now."

She was talking about many things, and it seemed as though Steve understood what she meant. His eyes changed from their previous intensity to a hard indifference.

"Rachel's here," he said tonelessly.

Mia looked to the door to see her friend coming toward them. Steve got up and collected the leavings of their lunch.

"I'll be around," he said and left.

Mia looked down at her hands on the table. She wanted to call after him, to say she didn't really mean it, and she was sorry. But when she looked up, Rachel was sitting across from her.

"Are you all right?" Rachel asked.

Mia found that the lump in her throat prevented her from speaking. So she only shook her head, and the hand Rachel placed over hers wasn't as unwelcome as she might have expected.

**H-5-O**

Rachel waited. There was little other option. She had a feeling she had just walked in on something more than a casual lunch. Mia was visibly upset, and Rachel could see in the way Steve walked away that he was too.

It struck Rachel as ironic that she had come to comfort her friend over something that happened days ago and might end up dealing with her present relationship troubles. For, Rachel had no doubt that's what the problem was. She knew how much Mia and Steve liked each other from things they had said after their first two dates. But since Saturday night, she hadn't heard any more.

After considerable pause, Mia pulled her hands back and dropped them in her lap. She looked up and met Rachel's eyes, knowing she had to tell her what was going on, but hardly knowing how.

"I think I know what it's like now," Mia said.

"What what's like?" Rachel asked softly.

"To crush someone."

"Mia... What happened?"

"You know, it didn't start out this way. I wasn't always like this. I wasn't always so... heartless."

"You are not heartless. Why would you say that?"

Mia let out a humorless laugh. "I can't think of anyone's feelings but my own, and not even my own very much." Mia brought the heel of her hand up to her eye and tried in vain to stop tears from flowing. "You know, this whole time," she went on, "Steve has only been trying to help me and I... I just threw it all back in his face."

Rachel reached over and took Mia's hand again and held it between hers. "Mia, you have to recognize your feelings. You can't just act like they don't exist. Trust me."

Mia met Rachel's eyes again, understanding what she meant. "What made you change?" she asked.

Rachel blinked several times as if trying to keep back strong emotions. "A good man," she finally said with a small smile. "And Steve is a good man, Mia. You just have to... let go."


	11. Second Chances

**Chapter Eleven "Second Chances"**

Steve was almost past feeling sorry for Mia until he saw her with Rachel. He couldn't hear what they were saying, and it didn't matter. The pain in her eyes was unmistakeable because he had seen it so many times in the mirror. And while Steve suspected it might have been a trick of the light, it looked like Mia was crying.

Of course, all that didn't make Steve forget about the things Mia had said. But it made him think he could forgive her, even if he didn't feel quite ready yet.

Steve watched as Mia said goodbye to Rachel, giving her a quick hug. Steve noticed that it was nowhere near the kind of hugs she gave her brothers. So, she was even guarded with her good friends to some extent. For some reason that made Steve feel a little better. He knew it wasn't just him.

Mia crossed the room slowly, not looking at Steve, though he knew she was coming toward him. She looked like someone had just died.

"I have class in five minutes," she said, and Steve almost thought that would be it, but she went on. "I hope you know how sorry I am for what I said."

For a moment, Steve only looked at her. Then he managed a smile. "I don't," he said. "But I hope to."

Mia smiled back and started toward the door. The two of them walked through the campus in silence. The late February air was pleasantly cool, and Mia found herself wishing for overcast skies and sprinkling rain. She never thought she would miss L.A., but perhaps her brothers' appearance made her homesick for the first time in two years.

Taking a deep breath and realizing how shaky it was, Mia walked through the open door of the English building. She could not completely put the thoughts of how she failed and of Southern California winters out of her head for the rest of the school day.

**H-5-O**

Danny was in need of coffee. And he had hoped for quiet. But he didn't get it. As he wrestled with the coffee maker he was approached by Mia's middle brother. Danny couldn't help an unintelligible grumble at the thought of another conversation with Kirk. But he was surprised.

"I'm sorry I was so sharp earlier," Kirk said. "My sister was hurt, and my brother's being an ass. But I should have controlled myself."

Danny nodded. "I understand," he said. "I have two sisters and a brother who _is_ an ass."

"Guess it's no use to talk about how unfair all this is, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Hey, listen, I was thinking of taking Zach surfing. Do you know any good spots?"

Danny almost laughed out loud. "I am _not_ the one to ask," he said. Then he smiled. "Come on."

Danny led Kirk over to Kono's office. He gave a courtesy knock on the glass door before letting himself in.

Kono looked up from her desk and smiled. "What's up?" she asked.

Danny pointed to his companion. "Mr. O'Brien here was wondering about good places to go surfing," he said. "I, of course, knew nothing on the subject and thought I'd consult the expert."

"Mr. O'Brien is my brother," Kirk said as he shook Kono's hand. "It's just Kirk."

"Well," Kono said, "I'd be happy to show you one of my favorite spots." She looked at Danny as if asking permission to leave. Danny just gave her a look that said, it's your call. Kono nodded once and turned back to Kirk.

"Just you?" she asked.

"No, I think my brother needs to use up some energy before he explodes," Kirk said.

"Your brother, Mr. O'Brien?"

Kirk smiled. "No. My younger brother, Zach."

"Okay, let's go. Do you have boards."

"No. That was my next question."

Kono smirked. "I have extras," she said.

**H-5-O**

"I wish it would rain," Mia said as she and Steve sat at a picnic table outside between her classes.

"Why?" Steve asked, getting the feeling this conversation was going somewhere.

"Because it's hard to be sad when the sun is shinning," Mia said.

"Are you sad?" Steve asked.

"Yes."

"About what?"

"It would be easier to tell you what I'm not sad about."

"You have to start somewhere."

Mia sighed and nodded slowly. "You're right... I just don't know where. I mean, I don't know what's at the top of the list. I guess I have been sad for a long time, I just never looked that deep."

"One thing at a time," Steve said. "Or you'll be overwhelmed."

"Okay. You."

"What?"  
>"I'm sad about you. Everything seemed great, and then... then I get in way over my head and before I know it, I'm staying at your house and being asked to share my feelings. Of course, it's not like this wouldn't have happened eventually. Though, if possible, it might have been a lot worse if I'd let it drag on."<p>

"I see."

"No, you don't. You think I'm trying to tell you that I don't want to be in a relationship. That I have too much to deal with. That's not what I'm trying to say."

"Then what?"

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry." Mia finally looked Steve in the eye and for the first time, he could see past the prickly exterior she put up against him.

Steve coughed, and then he blinked because he realized he hadn't been. "What are you sorry for?"

Mia tapped her fingernails on the table and bit her lip trying to come up with the words. "For hurting you," she finally said. She looked down at her hands. "I didn't realize it's what I was doing until after I'd done it."

Mia looked back up at Steve. She was surprised by the look in his eyes and the fact that he didn't try to hide it. He wasn't denying that he'd been hurt. Perhaps it only surprised her because it's what she would have done in his position. But the one who had hurt her most never said he was sorry.

**H-5-O**

As she watched Zachary O'Brien wipe out for the twentieth time, Kono began to believe what his brother had said about Zach's weird surfing. It honestly looked like he was doing it on purpose. She saw the curious look on Kirk's face as he walked toward her.

"I'm pretty sure you're not laughing at me," he said.

Kono shook her wet head. "I was watching yet another fail," she said.

"It's not a fail," Kirk argued. "He does that on purpose."

"Why?"

Kirk shrugged and dug his borrowed board into the sand next to Kono's. "Guess he likes the way it feels."

"Which makes me question his sanity."

"I don't know; maybe he's perfected falling... No, I think it's something about losing control. He's always been that way."

"I guess it could make sense. You're pretty good, by the way."

"Thanks." Kirk sat down next to Kono. "Surfing was always my favorite thing to do when I was upset about something."

Kono nodded and gave him a sidelong look. "So I bet you did a lot of it after what happened to your sister."

Kirk stared off at the horizon. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "Last time I saw her... I had taken Mia to the beach. We surfed for hours. We didn't talk about it. She still had the scars, but she wore more clothes to cover them up."

"That's why she told me she didn't want to walk up the beach in her bathing suit."

"Yeah. She... likes to forget about things. I never forget things."

"So, you didn't see her again after that day?"

Kirk shook his head. "I took her home, and the next morning, she flew here. Until this morning, I hadn't seen her since."

"You seem close though."

"Yeah, she's... well, I don't know how to describe it. I'm not easy to get along with. Morgan and I argue a lot and Zach... well, I just don't get him. Mia was my best friend."

"I come from a big family," Kono said. "Growing up with cousins who are more like brothers and sisters. I know how you feel."

Kirk shook his head. "But I lost her. She doesn't know it, but I did. You know, she wasn't always like she is now. She used to be... _alive_."

Kono looked out at the waves that seemed so fascinating to Kirk. "Maybe she can be again," she said softly, almost to herself.

"Maybe," Kirk said, but it didn't seem as though he believed it.


	12. How We Were

**Chapter Twelve "How We Were"**

"_Come on, baby. You can do it," Ricky said, holding Mia's hands over the video game controller._

"_I'm serious, Ricky," she said. "I have no skills at this stuff. Three brothers, and I can't play video games."_

_Ricky smiled. "Maybe you just need a more patient teacher. Come on."_

_Ricky sat down on the couch, pulling Mia onto his lap. His arms went around her so he could guide her fingers along the controls._

"_Just relax," he said. "It's like learning to ride a bike."_

"_Yeah? You know when I was little my brothers had those Nintendo things that only had like two buttons. I couldn't find 'A'."_

"_That's why I'm helping you."_

"_Okay, but after this, I'm giving you a ten minute lecture on the significance of iambic pentameter."_

"_I can't wait."_

"_I hear your eyes rolling."_

"_Hey, focus. The game's about to start."_

"_Yeah, yeah, just show me how to blow stuff up."_

_Ricky laughed. "You can pretend they're students as you blast them into nothing."_

"_I wasn't going to say that."_

"_Of course not."_

_Even with Ricky's help, Mia quickly lost all her lives in the game. He made some comment about trying again, and she glared at him. So, he sat back on the couch, putting his hands behind his head._

"_Okay," he said. "Are we starting with Shakespeare?"_

_Mia shook her head. "Beowulf."_

"_Beowulf?"_

"_Yes. The only English Epic. Of course, it was about Danes and Geats, but that's not important."_

"_Do I even want to know what you're talking about?"_

"_If you want me to keep speaking Modern English, you had better listen."_

"_Hey, if I make you dinner, can we skip the lecture?"_

_Mia seemed to be thinking about that. "If you buy me dinner and maybe take me to a movie... I'll consider it."_

_Ricky spread his arms. "Why do you hate my cooking?"_

"_Because it's... not good." Mia couldn't help the smile that crept across her lips. "Don't worry, babe; you're good at other things."_

_She leaned in and kissed him, softly at first, but that quickly changed. Ricky moved his hands to Mia's sides, pulling her closer. She felt him smile and pull back enough to look her in the eye._

"_Yeah," he said. "You're pretty good at that too."_

**H-5-O**

Mia couldn't think. She hoped no one noticed. The last time she had felt this way, it hadn't ended well. She just wished the day would end. She wished she could go home and curl up in her bed and pretend nothing happened.

Mia avoided looking at Steve as she taught the rest of her classes. She knew he was paying attention and she didn't want to look at his eyes. That would be too much. She knew she could easily lose herself in those eyes if she allowed it to happen.

The trouble was, Mia's resolve not to fall in love was weakening. Maybe it was already gone. She remembered what Rachel had said about Steve. She seemed to think it would be a good thing. Mia could not share that opinion. In her experience, falling in love so rarely worked.

Mia had never considered herself a cynic before, but she couldn't think of a better explanation. A real life knight in shinning armor was sitting at the back of her classroom, taking in every word she said, protecting her from anything and everything, and trying his hardest to make her better.

Mia wasn't sure she could be better. Until now, she hadn't realized she needed to. But everything had turned upside down in the last few days. Or it had turned right again, and Mia was so used to things being wrong that she couldn't handle it.

Mia was used to parallels. She was used to finding them in stories and likening stories to people. But nothing about Steve made sense with that line of thinking. The way she felt about him wasn't anything like she had felt before, and he didn't fit with any of her preconceptions. All the more reason to fear what could happen. Mia would never admit it, but she was an incurable xenophobe.

Mia began to wish she could be like she used to. That she could be as carefree as the days when she surfed for hours with her brothers or went to plays with her mom and dad. And somewhere deep inside, Mia held on to the fictional happiness she had with Ricky. The fantasy was easier, more livable than her current reality.

Rachel had said to let go, but Mia wasn't quite ready to do that. She knew she wanted to. At least, the rational part of her did.

There were really only two options at this point. Either one presented risks that Mia wasn't sure she could handle. The first was to keep everything on the surface, give Steve a little here and there, but not the real depth. But he would see through it, and it would break his heart all over again. The other option was to give in to him, to let go. In the end, she would take the second choice because, really, it was her only hope. Steve was her only hope.

**H-5-O**

Zach came up out of the water again, smiling as he felt the burn in his muscles. The waves had been great, and he'd taken advantage of that in his own way. He saw his brother and their new friend sitting on the beach watching him. Zach tilted his head to the side as if in curiosity.

"What?" Kirk asked.

Zach shrugged and came to stand in front of them. "Just haven't seen that look in a while."

"What look? You know what, don't answer that."

Zach smiled and gave Kono a cryptic look. Kirk shook his head and stood up.

"Hey, I'm hungry," Zach said.

Kono laughed and stood up. "Come on," she said. "I'll take you to the best restaurant on the island."

"Literally the best, or just your favorite?" Zach seemed skeptical.

Kono smirked. "Same thing."

"So you're an authority on the subject?" Zach looked Kono up and down, not believing she would know anything about food.

"Yes," Kono said matter-of-factly.

"Hmm..." Zach still didn't seem quite convinced, but he followed Kono and Kirk back to her car.

"So?" Kono said as Zach walked behind.

"What?" Kirk replied.

"What was the look?"

"Zach says things..."

"Seems like he might see things other people don't."

"Yeah, he's good like that."

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"I'm not sure yet... I mean, I'm not sure exactly what he meant. I'll let you know."

Kono smirked. "I'll hold you to that."

Kirk had little doubt she would. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but his own self-irritating tendency to say what was on his mind at all times might just make that decision for him.

**H-5-O**

Steve was fairly used to living on an emotional roller coaster, but the time he had spent with Mia was a whole new level of highs and lows. He was determined though. After seeing even the briefest glimpse of the depth of her pain, he knew he had to see this through.

After they returned from the school, the house was empty, and they went their separate ways. Later, Steve found Mia on the deck staring out at the ocean, but not seeming to admire it, or even see it.

"Must have been nice," she said suddenly.

For a second Steve wasn't sure what she was talking about. "Living here?" he asked. "Yes, it was. Is again."

Mia still did not look at him. "When I was young, I always dreamed of living on the beach. When we would take trips to the coast, I would pretend I was a shipwrecked pirate."

Steve smiled softly. "I always pretended to be a ship captain... I killed a lot of pirates."

Mia nodded. "Makes sense." There was a long pause. "Do you want to know what happened?"

Once Steve realized what she meant he considered his next words carefully. "I need to," he said.

Mia nodded and still would not look at him. "People say," she began, "that nothing I did caused what happened... I simply cannot believe that. Still, what part I played in my own downfall I may never know. I'm told there was no logical reason, but there had to be. People don't just change from one person into another at the drop of a hat, and I am not altogether that blind."

Steve was surprised at how quickly Mia was talking and the things she was saying. It seemed so unlike the way she had been before.

"Well," she went on. "After I found out about the drugs and everything, I went over to Ricky's house. I told him what I knew and that our relationship was over... it wasn't so simple as all that, but you get the idea. The last thing I expected was to feel like my jaw had been knocked from it's socket."

Steve winced at the thought. This was one time he wished Mia were a little less articulate. But she created a vivid mental picture of what happened.

"At first I was so shocked, I didn't do anything," she said. "And then when he did it again, I tried to get away. He caught me—his hands almost fit around my waist—and he threw me into the end table."

That hadn't been in the report. It explained the bloody shards of broken lamp.

"When I hit the floor, I tried to crawl away," Mia said. "I got a few feet before he stopped me. I—I don't know why, but it gets hazy. I know somehow I got to my feet again, but he pushed me into the other wall, and then when I was on the floor, he held me there. He sat on my stomach. I couldn't move. I fought. I really did, but I couldn't get away. Then... then I woke up and wished I hadn't."

Steve allowed the weight of her words to sink in. Mia still wouldn't look at him. She spoke clearly with no tears and only small pauses. Still, the tone of her voice carried such seriousness that he hadn't heard from her. It pained him in a way he couldn't explain to hear the last few words especially.

When Mia finally did turn to look at him, there were tears at the corners of her eyes. "We talked about getting married." They fell to her cheeks. "I knew we would be together forever, and then we _weren't_." There was some indignation in her voice.

Steve finally understood just why she had tried to bury all this. It was a reminder that something she had believed in as much as her own existence hadn't been real. It reminded Steve a little of losing his mother. She had been like an ultimate reality, and then... she wasn't. It turned everything upside down and inside out.

Steve began to wonder if it were possible to set things right again. For himself and for Mia.


	13. What We Have Become

**I apologize for postponing everything last week. It's almost over! Anyway, my other stories should be updated later today, I hope. Thanks to all of you readers out there.  
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**Chapter Thirteen "What We Have Become"**

"I concede," Zach said before taking another bite of his food. Across the table, Kono raised her eyebrows, but Zach did not elaborate.

"Just so you know," Kirk said to her as he nudged his brother. "He never accepts greater authority than his own when it comes to food."

"Guess I should feel special," Kono said.

Kirk nodded. "He has very discriminating taste buds."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Zach interrupted.

"I'm with you all the way, brah," Kono said.

Zach gave Kono a funny look, and she realized that he'd never heard that word before.

"Sorry," she said. "It means 'brother' in pidgin. You know, how people call each other bro or dude."

Zach nodded and seemed to be thinking hard about it. "Pidgin is a creole, right?"

Kono looked surprised that he knew that. "Yeah. A combination of English and several other languages."

"You know, I keep telling my sister that language is a living thing and not to be so uptight about her beloved Modern Language Association."

"Hey," Kirk said in mock seriousness, "The MLA is the only thing standing between us and utter linguistic chaos."

"Then why do they keep changing their minds?"

"Because they have committees."

Zach shuddered and went back to his food. Kirk gave Kono a smile as if to say, _yes, he's always like this._

Kono smiled back. "Mia must have had a lot of fun with you guys growing up."

"Sometimes," Kirk agreed. "She used to be a lot more adventurous. She made Dad and Morgan teach her to surf when she was six. They didn't think she was old enough, but I guess because I was learning, she wanted to."

"She's still got it," Kono said. "I mean, for someone who hasn't surfed in two years, she's pretty good."

"She hasn't?" Kirk looked up from his plate, fork in midair.

"That's what she said anyway."

Kirk shook his head. "I would have thought living here..."

"Yeah," Kono said. "Maybe it's like what you said about being alive. I can understand not wanting to do something that reminds you of what you used to be."

"You used to be a surfer," Zach said as if he knew all about it.

"Yes." Kono nodded. "I hurt my knee and I couldn't do it anymore. It was really hard to get back in the water as just me without everything else I had before. But I'm glad it happened."

Zach nodded like he understood perfectly. "You found something else to do."

"Yep." Kono smiled. "Being a cop is nothing like being a surfer, but I think it's what I was meant to do."

Zach looked at Kirk and seemed to be thinking hard. "Now I get the look," he said.

"What look?" Kono asked, confused.

"The Andrea look."

Kirk elbowed Zach harder this time.

"Who's Andrea?" Kono asked, looking between the two of them.

"No one," Kirk said quickly and glared at Zach.

Zach put up his hands in defense and slid out of his chair. "I'm going to... go," he said. He headed for the door of the restaurant and disappeared outside.

Kono crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "What was that all about?" she asked.

Kirk sighed. "Andrea was—is my ex-wife," he said.

**H-5-O**

Steve wasn't sure how to form the words he wanted to say. He knew in his head, but getting it out into the air was another story. But words were the only comfort Mia would accept from him. He couldn't hold her hand or hug her. He would have done those things if he didn't know that she wouldn't respond well to it.

It surprised Steve when Mia started talking again.

"I know you want to say the right thing," she said. "I know you feel helpless." She shook her head. "But there's nothing to be said or done. Nothing that hasn't already been." She paused and Steve almost thought that was the end of it. "Waking up," Mia continued. "Waking up was like a nightmare. My whole family was there looking at me. I know they were just so worried and needed to know I was okay, but it was... terrible."

Steve nodded. "You hate being surrounded when you feel like that. People tell you you're gonna be okay, but you know you never will."

Mia turned her head to look at Steve. "Yeah," she said.

"When my mom died... it was like that. I just wanted everyone to go away and leave me alone."

"I know. You know nobody else could understand because they're not _you_."

"And I know... I don't understand what happened to you, but I do know how you feel. I know what it's like when everything turns upside down, and you don't think anything could ever be right again."

"And you're going to tell me it can?"

"If you let it... It took me about eighteen years to really feel okay. But it made me realize how much time I wasted, how many years I can never get back."

"So are you saying you're just fine now?"

"No. I'm saying, I'm better, better every day."

There was a long pause and Mia wondered if she should say what she was thinking. She remembered the choice she had to make and that there was no other option.

"I'm not," she finally said. "I honestly don't think I'm any better really. Maybe I can fake it until someone gets too close."

"Was your family any help?" Steve asked.

Mia shrugged. "I think when it happened, I was so shocked and angry that I wasn't really paying attention to them. I left them like that, and I guess I never changed."

"But you still seem close with your brothers."

"You have no idea what 'close' is. When I left, the night before, Kirk took me to the coast and we went surfing. I knew his heart was breaking because he didn't say anything. He didn't tell me not to leave or how much he would miss me. I... I pushed him away, and I wouldn't admit it."

**H-5-O**

Kono stirred her straw around in her drink as she waited for Kirk to continue. She was certainly surprised that he had been married, but more so that they were even talking about it. And she still wanted to know what the look was.

"Zach really liked her," Kirk said. "Andrea, I mean. Or, he liked how she made me happy. He was still a teenager when we got married. He came up with the 'Andrea look' for the way I looked when I was content, I guess."

"So when he said he hadn't seen the look in a while...?" Kono said.

"He meant that since the divorce and losing Mia, I've been... difficult to be around."

"So what brought back the look? Seeing your sister again, I guess."

"Yeah, that and today. It's been nice."

Kono smiled almost shyly. "I'm glad I could be part of it."

Kirk smiled back. "I'm glad you could too."

"So... How long were you married?"

Kirk shook his head. "About seven years."

"Wow. What happened?"

Kirk looked like he was about to answer and then thought better of it. For a moment, he seemed to be searching for the right words. "A lot of things," he finally said. "I told you I'm not easy to get along with, and that was part of it. And for her part, she... well, she decided she didn't love me anymore."

Kono was surprised at how open Kirk was being and felt bad for asking about something that must have been a very painful memory. But at the same time, it seemed as though he wanted to tell her, so she was happy to listen.

"When was this?" Kono asked.

"About five years ago. I mean, it took a while because... well, I'm of the opinion that if you love someone you don't stop. I didn't want to be difficult, but... I was. I am."

"But Zach seems to think you're happier now."

Kirk gestured around him. "Must be this place. It's all so laid back. Makes you kind of forget about all that crap."

Kono smiled. "That's how I always felt about surfing and now the guys I work with."

"From what I've seen, they seem pretty great."

"Yeah. It's like working with family."

**H-5-O**

Morgan stuffed his glasses back in his pocket and sighed. He looked across the table at Danny and Chin and he knew what had to be done.

"I think I'm going to have to call in reinforcements," he said.

"Meaning?" Danny asked.

"My assistant would be very helpful with all this. More eyes, you know."

"You think he'd be able to come?" Chin asked.

"She," Morgan corrected. "And I'm certain of it. I think she would jump at the chance to visit her sister-in-law, anyway."

"Wait a second," Danny said. "Your assistant is your wife?"

"Yes. I'll call her if it's all right."

"Go ahead. We need all the eyes on this we can get."

Morgan went out into the hall and dialed the first number on his speed dial. It was a few rings before she answered.

"ADA O'Brien?" she said, a smile affecting her voice.

"Mrs. O'Brien," he replied also smiling. "I have a favor to ask."

"Does it involve hours of research, probably over night?"

"It might, but there's a very good reason for you to perform this favor."

"And what's that?"

"Well, it requires you to come to Hawaii."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. I've been trying to help out the local task force get Durante. I think I need some more eyes."

"Morgan, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yeah, the kids can stay with Mom and Dad, and you can help us here."

"That's not what I meant. You being involved in this, it doesn't seem wise."

"I know all about the case, Kyra, and they'll need the help getting a conviction when they finally find him. I know it's not ideal, and before you say anything, I know it's not going to make Mia better, but it will make her safe."

"Just... Yes, of course I'll come, but don't do anything crazy, all right?"

"When am I crazy?"

"Oh, I don't know, the time that little boy pushed Amy on the playground?"

"He was a punk."

"Yes, dear. But Ricky Durante is a dangerous criminal and you are a lawyer, not a super hero."

"I thought I was your hero?"

"Mine. Just mine."

"Okay. Tell Amy and Michael I love them."

"All right. I'll call you when I leave."

"Thanks, baby. I love you."

"I love you too, super prosecutor."


	14. We Will Be

**Chapter Fourteen "We Will Be"**

Mia threaded her fingers through her hair, undoing her ubiquitous braid. The breeze pulled at the red-brown strands, scattering them over the smooth skin of her face and neck. She looked out toward the ocean, eyes unfocused.

Steve stood off to the side, watching her, wishing he could run his fingers through that hair, wishing he could take her in his arms and make everything better. He wanted to erase all the pain she still harbored.

But Steve couldn't save Mia. He couldn't make her let go of all the guilt and hurt she still had. And who was he to preach acceptance anyway?

The wind picked up. Mia's hands wrapped around her elbows, pulling at her thin sleeves. She shivered slightly, and the hair, now falling to her shoulders blew to one side revealing more of her long neck.

In his mind, Steve saw his hand reach out to touch her skin. It trailed down her back and came to rest on her hip, and he pulled her into his arms. In his mind.

"Steve?" Mia was looking at him now. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.

"I was just thinking," he said and moved so that he was looking out toward the water.

"About what?" Mia asked.

Steve hadn't thought ahead that far, and the response jumped out of his mouth before he could stop it. "You," he said.

Instead of reacting like someone bitten by a snake, like he thought she would, Mia reached over and rested her hand on Steve's arm. She'd touched him before, however briefly, but this was different. Steve turned to face her. He brought his hand up as if to brush some hair from her forehead, but he stopped.

"Can I..." he couldn't say what he wanted.

Mia nodded.

Steve smoothed the hair out of her eyes, moving his fingers slowly over her skin. His hand ran over her hair and down to her jaw. He took the way she leaned into his hand as permission. Still, he moved slowly, as if she were a wild animal, and he desperately wanted not to spook her.

Mia tilted her head up toward his. Her lips parted as if she had something to say, but she didn't. Everything about her seemed to be inviting, her eyes, her mouth, her hand still on his arm.

For a second, Steve forgot to breathe. He'd done this plenty of times before, but he had never wanted it so much. He'd never been so afraid of ruining everything he wanted.

Mia moved closer to him. That was it. That was the sign he needed to know that this was okay. That it was time. He still wasn't breathing, but he angled his head downward.

At first, it was as if they weren't even touching. As if the tiniest measure of distance were between their lips. And then there was no more distance. All the tension and fear between them was gone.

She was warm and soft just like he knew she would be. Her fingers around his arm tightened, and her other hand reached for his neck. Steve put his other arm around her waist. For the first time, he held her. For the first time, he felt like he could be everything to her.

**H-5-O**

Zach wandered up and down the street for a while looking in shops for cool souvenirs to take to his niece and nephew. He thought it would be a better idea to ask Kono where to find something than to blindly shop all the tourist traps.

But Kono was occupied, and Zach wasn't about to interrupt his brother and the first person to make him look halfway human in the last five years. Of course there was the distance to consider, but Kirk was impulsive enough to move across the ocean if he found someone that made him happy. It was early, but Zach had a feel for these things. He only hoped Kono would want Kirk as much as Kirk clearly wanted her.

"Aloha, brah," a man in a shop called to Zach. "You lost?"

"Define lost," Zach said. "I know my way back to where I came from, if that's what you mean."

"Too bad," the man said. "I'd have sold you a map."

"Well, I could do with a map anyway. I like knowing where things are."

"Cool."

"Say, do you know a place to find really good souvenirs? Not the touristy stuff, but something that really says 'Hawaii', you know?"

"You buy this map, I'll point you in the right direction."

"Deal."

Soon Zach was on his way, glancing down at his new map as he passed landmarks. He found the shop the man had suggested and knew he was where he wanted to be. From the outside, the place looked like a hole in the wall, but inside, it was brightly decorated and full of all sorts of wonderful things.

Amy would want something pink and girly. Something either made of flowers or with flowers on it. Michael would be more interested in something made of wood or stone. Zach prided himself on accurate knowledge of his family members even if he didn't really understand them.

As he browsed through the store, Zach came upon something that surprised him. It was a necklace made of leather and the wood of some tree he couldn't pronounce. There was a word carved into the middle of an intricate design of waves and flowers in the wood: "Ikaika." The tag said it meant "strength."

Zach had to get it for Mia. He wasn't entirely sure why, and that didn't bother him in the least. He also knew that she rarely wore jewelry unless it had sentimental value. She hadn't even been wearing the ring their parents gave her when she graduated high school. She loved that ring.

Zach was not trying to make sense of his sister's psychology. He knew that was as useless as her trying to understand his.

He bought the necklace, forgetting his real purpose in the store, and headed back toward the restaurant where he'd left Kirk and Kono. It was the warmest part of the day. People were moving slowly along the sidewalks, and Zach thought that falling asleep in a beach chair sounded pretty good right now. Upon even this smallest of acquaintances, he was certain that he liked Hawaii very much and wouldn't mind trading the smog and traffic for the calm contentedness. Maybe that was the reason for the Andrea look.

Zach shook his head to himself. Thinking about that inevitably led him places he didn't want to go. No one knew, or would ever know, how he felt about that woman. How her betrayal was far worse than even Ricky's in his mind. Zach didn't like to be angry. But the few things that made him that way seemed to be aligning perfectly today.

**H-5-O**

Kono inhaled a long breath of fresh air. Kirk walked beside her as they ambled down the sidewalk. She thought they might be searching for Zach, but not very enthusiastically.

Kono found it interesting that she'd only spent most of the day with Kirk, and she already felt like she'd known him for years. Probably because he was so open, but there seemed to be more to it than that. She actually wanted him to be. Most of the time she would consider the conversations they had too personal for someone she just met. This was different.

Of course, she could tell Zach was trying to push them together with his comments on Kirk's facial expressions and the way he so obviously left them alone. But instead of being annoyed, Kono thought it was kind of sweet of him. She could tell he just wanted his brother to be happy, and from their conversation, Kono didn't think Kirk had been for the last five years.

That was a lot of pressure, but Kono was used to pressure. Whether it was surfing in front of a thousand people or chasing down a ruthless murderer or enduring an IA investigation. Still, Kirk O'Brien might turn out to be another creature entirely. He was a person who'd been hurt, but she knew what that was like too.

She wondered what had happened that really made Kirk's marriage fail. He said he was hard to live with and that she decided she didn't love him anymore, but there had to be more too it than that. It was never so simple.

It was in the midst of these thoughts that Kono saw Zach coming their way. He had a small package in his hand as well and a small map.

"Did you get lost?" Kirk asked with a smile in his voice.

"Why does everyone say that?" Zach asked.

"You have a map." Kono pointed.

"I like maps."

"Whatever happened to your innate sense of direction?" Kirk said.

"It likes maps too. Besides, my innate sense of direction can only handle the myriad freeways and back alleys of Los Angleles. However, it is interested in learning a less evil system of roadways."

"So this sense of direction is sentient?" Kono asked.

"Yes." Zach looked at her as if he were confused by the question.

Kirk shook his head, but he was smiling, and Kono noticed a look in his eyes like he was enjoying a bit of nostalgia. She could tell that Zach frustrated him sometimes, but he was making the choice to rather be amused.

She found that the more and more she watched them, the more she became attracted to this family, Kirk in particular. If Zach's comments bore any merit, the feeling was mutual.

**H-5-O**

Mia felt a steady thumping under her hand, much faster than she thought it should be, but she wasn't that kind of doctor. Steve's arms around her waist and shoulders kept her safely pressed against his chest, but she thought that maybe he wasn't feeling as secure as she was. He wasn't certain of her.

She didn't blame him, really. She'd given him no reason to think she would be consistent, and she wasn't even sure she could be. In another minute his hold might change from comforting and reassuring to suffocating and terrifying. Mia didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to let go of this feeling; it was too good.

Steve's heart-rate quickened, and Mia realized it was because she had become rigid in his arms. He loosened his hold and held her shoulders so that he could look her in the eye.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worry coating his words.

"Yeah," Mia replied, but it wasn't very convincing. "I just..."

Just what? She didn't know what to say. She crossed her arms, closing off again, and she knew it. She could not do that now. She willed herself to put her arms at her sides. It was the most she could to at the moment.

"Freaked out a little, I guess," she finished.

"About what?"

Mia shook her head. She didn't know how to even begin to answer that question. "You know," she said. "You're nothing like him."

Steve seemed genuinely surprised by that comment.

"Ricky," Mia went on. "You're nothing like Ricky." She started crying, and she didn't care. "But it's taken getting to know you to realize how wrong he was for me, even as I thought he was. He was impatient, pushy. I just thought all guys were like that. I thought he was normal."

"Well," Steve said. "To confuse the matter further, I'm not exactly normal either."

"No." Mia smiled. "But you're better than normal. You are right for me."

Steve moved his hands down Mia's arms until he was holding her hands in his. "I hope so," he said.


	15. You Try So Hard

**Sorry this chapter took so long. I had some revisions to make, and I kept putting it off. Hopefully you're all still reading because the interesting stuff is going to start happening in the next chapter. Well, the action, anyway.  
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**Chapter Fifteen "You Try So Hard..."**

Kyra O'Brien smoothed her hair as she got off the plane. The back of her hand brushed against the diamond earrings she always wore, the ones Morgan gave her before they were married. She was almost surprised they had lasted this long with two kids, one of whom liked shiny things.

She smiled thinking of them, their excitement at getting to stay with their grandparents, and their excitement of seeing Aunt Mia soon. Kyra didn't tell Morgan that she had arranged with his parents to bring the kids to Hawaii for a family vacation as soon as this was all over. It was about time, and she wanted to get to know this Steve person. Morgan seemed to trust him, but Kyra would make her own judgments.

Walking through the terminal, Kyra heard the clicking of her own heels, standing out against the chatter of families and the silence of business suits all around her. After she got her bag, she found a taxi and gave the driver the address of the 'Iolani Palace.

"Sightseeing on your own?" he asked, glancing in the rearview mirror as he pulled onto the main road.

Kyra stared out the window, shaking her head. "Business."

"Serious then?"

"You could say that."

"Something to do with that Five-0?"

"Famous, are they?" She smirked.

"Ha. Try legendary. Catch a lot of bad guys from what I hear. You must be somebody if you're working with them."

"I'm nobody. Just an ADA's assistant from Los Angeles."

The drive wasn't very long, and Kyra was secretly glad to get away from the chatty cab driver. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was very nervous about this whole thing. The last time her family had intersected with Ricky Durante, it had not ended well. And while they had plenty of help this time, she wasn't feeling particularly optimistic.

As she reached the third floor of the Palace, Kyra let out a sigh and opened the doors. Inside, there were four men standing around a table, deep in conversation. She recognized the familiar shape of her husband, a little taller than the others. She could see from the way he was standing that he was stressed. She had expected no less. But she could also see that he was in need of a break.

"I'm here," she announced as if everyone should be relieved by this.

Morgan's face lit up. "That was fast." He hugged her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Everyone, meet my lovely assistant." He gestured at the others. "This is Detective Ahuna." He indicated the larger of the two Hawaiians. "And Lieutenant Kelly." The other Hawaiian. "And last but not least, Detective Williams." The shorter blonde man.

"I have heard of you," Kyra said. "You're the one who introduced Mia to this new man of hers?"

"Is that a bad thing?" Danny smiled.

"I haven't met him yet; I'll let you know."

Detective Ahuna signaled his departure. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Yeah, thanks," Chin said, waving. "So let's bring Mrs. O'Brien up to date on everything."

"Kyra," she corrected. "What's the situation?"

Danny shuffled some pages around on the smart table. "So far, we know that Durante is still on the island. HPD has been able to narrow down his location to a general area. It's not enough to go in and bust him yet, since we don't really know where he is, or what he's doing. We need to get some better intel on his dealings. I mean, we could always arrest him for attacking Mia, but I think we all want him to go away for much longer than that."

"Agreed." Kyra nodded. "We never knew he was involved in anything here. This could be the evidence we need to convict him. If we can find it."

"That's the problem we're having," Morgan said. "Finding evidence."

**H-5-O**

Kono drove Kirk and Zach back to Steve's house after their adventures that afternoon. They looked tired, and the drive from town had been unusually quiet. Kono kept her eyes on the road, waiting for someone to say something. She wasn't going to ask. If her limited experience was any indication, they would share what they were thinking soon enough.

When they pulled into Steve's driveway, the brothers still hadn't said anything. Kono got out of the car and walked with them up to the front door. As they reached it, Kirk turned around and surprised her by giving her a hug.

"Thanks for today," he whispered into her hair. Then he let go and went into the house.

Kono stood on the cement path wondering what she was supposed to do next. She almost forgot Zach was still there until he started speaking.

"He's real worried." Zach stared through the open door after his brother. "It was good for him."

"I hope so."

Zach turned and looked at Kono. "You'll... be careful with him huh?"

"I... what?" Kono had to resist scratching her head.

Zach sighed. "I don't think he can take it again. He probably didn't tell you what she did to him."

Kono shook her head, hardly believing they were even talking about this. "He said she didn't love him anymore."

"That's putting it nicely. He caught her with his best friend." Zach laughed. His eyes looked downright frightening. "And the idiot still wanted to work things out with her. He had every right to kick her to the curb, but he prolonged everything because he still loved her no matter what she did. She was never sorry. She never gave him anything, but he wouldn't let her go... She killed him." Zach was almost spitting.

Kono didn't know what to say. She hadn't asked Zach to be so candid with her. If Kirk had wanted her to know all this, he would have said something. But she needed to say something. She needed to let Zach know that she wouldn't do anything to hurt his brother, if she even got close enough to.

"We have this thing here," she began, "called _ohana_. It means family. All of us in Five-0 are part of it, Mia too. And now the rest of you. We don't give up on each other. Ever."

Zach nodded. "I hope you're right."

**H-5-O**

Steve had never wanted his afternoon with Mia to end, but it was now coming to a close. He reluctantly followed her back inside the house. Golden light streamed in through the windows of the upstairs family room, reflecting off Mia's loose hair. Steve almost reached out to run his fingers through it again, but thought better of it. Only a short time ago she acted like she didn't want him to touch her.

Right now, Mia seemed relaxed and comfortable, but Steve wasn't going to push things. He would just have to wait and see what happened next. He noticed the way she still looked a little excited when she heard her brothers' voices downstairs. He thought of how they had been so close for so long, and then she left them all. He suddenly had the terrible thought that she might leave Hawaii if they caught Durante and put him away for good. Steve wasn't sure what he would do if that happened, but he hoped he wouldn't have to find out.

"You coming?" Mia was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down the hallway at Steve. With her hair falling over her shoulders and her casual clothes, she looked so much younger than normal, innocent in a way Steve couldn't quite grasp.

"Uh, yeah." He followed her, trying to put his previous thoughts out of his head as they descended the stairs to find Kirk and Zach inspecting the kitchen.

Steve almost thought of them as teenagers, little brothers of sorts, in spite of the fact that Kirk was his own age, and Zach was at least thirty. Steve guessed that his skewed perception of them was due to the fact that they acted younger than they were. At least they seemed to, but he didn't actually know them very well.

"You have a good day?" Steve closed the cupboard doors Zach had left open.

"Went surfing," Zach said absently as he gazed rather mournfully into the refrigerator.

"I'll order pizza," Steve said.

Kirk leaned against the counter. "Morgan called a minute ago. He's on his way back with Danny."

"Okay, that makes six."

"Seven."

Mia stared at her brother. "Seven? Who..."

Kirk looked like he might have been about to smile. "Kyra just got here an hour ago."

"You're kidding?"

Kirk shook his head. "Apparently, Morgan thought she might be able to help with the case." He looked at Steve. "Trust me, you do not want to be on that woman's bad side."

Steve smirked. "Is that supposed to inspire confidence about the case or scare me?"

Kirk shrugged. "Take your pick."

"She'll love you," Mia said. Then she kissed Steve's cheek and went out into the living room, and Steve thought that his patience may have been worth it, that things might just be okay.

**H-5-O**

Mia flopped down on the couch with her eyes closed. She heard the voices of the guys in the kitchen still talking. She was glad they were getting along. She was also happy to be alone for a minute before more people got there. She loved her family, and she was beginning to see how Steve was fitting into that, but she still wasn't used to all the attention and closeness.

As she looked around the living room, Mia started to see why she was getting so comfortable. It was easy to tell that Steve spent most of his time alone here, what little time he was home, anyway. She knew he wasn't used to having people around. He was like her in that way.

Mia twirled a piece of hair around her finger as she bit her bottom lip. She was tired and beginning to feel it. She had student meetings in the morning and course evaluations to administer. It was weird that her life was going on as normal. Not exactly normal, with Steve following her everywhere, but more normal than she would have expected after what happened Saturday night.

Images of the attack flashed through her mind before she could stop them. She had told Steve that Saturday night wasn't that bad, but she really hadn't spent that much time thinking about it. She hadn't had time to process how it had affected her to have her worst nightmare repeated.

Maybe being alone wasn't such a good idea after all. The voices from the kitchen still carried throughout the house, but somehow they seemed to fade away as the past settled into her thoughts and took root. Instead of the voices of those she loved, Mia only heard ribs cracking and glass shattering. Her vision blurred. She tasted the phantom flavor of blood on her tongue.

A noise and movement, disrupted Mia's thoughts. People were coming in through the door. Her first, involuntary response was to jump up and run. Until she heard familiar voices.

"There's my favorite sister-in-law." Kyra was quick to cross the room and give Mia a hug.

"I'm your only sister-in-law." Mia forced herself to return the embrace more enthusiastically than she wanted to.

"No, my brother got married, remember?" Kyra looked Mia in the eye. "And I like you better."

Mia smiled. "Good to know."

Kyra placed her hands on her hips. "So, where is this great guy I keep hearing about?"


	16. And it Blows up in your Face

**Yes, I am finally updating. I had a conversation last night that got me thinking about this story again, and I wrote this chapter in a few hours. I don't know why it took me so long to get back to it since I knew how this was going to go. Anyway, I hope there are still a few people reading out there. I have not forgotten you!  
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**Chapter Sixteen "...And it Blows Up in Your Face"**

Steve heard the voices in his living room in spite of the fact that Kirk and Zach were having a heated discussion about the best pizza places in L.A. They both seemed to have strong opinions on the subject, and very detailed arguments. Steve quietly excused himself to see what was going on.

In the front room, Danny and Morgan had returned with a woman Steve could only assume was Mia's sister-in-law. The two of them were standing in the middle of the room, talking. Mia's back was to Steve so he couldn't see her reaction, but the other woman was smiling broadly, genuinely happy.

Of all the women Steve had ever met, Kyra O'Brien qualified as one of the most beautiful. She had an air about her that said she wasn't afraid of anything and she enjoyed life. Her bright blue eyes focused on Mia's face, and her smile never wavered.

As Steve walked into her line of sight, Kyra's expression changed to a mask of impassivity. Steve decided to try to make a good first impression, not something he usually concerned himself with.

"Hi," he said, smiling in a way he hoped was friendly and offered his hand. "I'm Steve."

Kyra shook his hand and blinked slowly. "I hear we have you to thank for Mia's safety."

Steve looked over Kyra's shoulder to where Danny and Morgan were standing, appearing ignorant of the others in the room. Part of him couldn't help feeling proud that Danny had bragged about him. He wouldn't have expected it, even from his best friend.

"Have you heard that?" Steve asked, smirking. "We try to keep these things secret."

Kyra smirked back. "I have sources." She blinked again.

"I'll have to fire someone."

Danny finally responded to that. "I didn't think family counted as telling anyone," he said, coming closer to them. "And I didn't actually start the conversation." He looked meaningfully at Morgan.

Morgan only shrugged, and might have been smiling.

Steve turned back to Kyra. "I'm sure you won't leak any information."

Kyra shook her head. "I wouldn't even tell her mother. No, really, I wouldn't."

Mia put her hand on Steve's arm. "Thanks for that," she said. "I don't want them to worry."

"Oh, they worry, but as far as they know, you're staying with a friend, and all is well. You haven't mentioned to them that you don't have any friends, have you?"

"I do too! I have... Rachel."

"What about me?" Steve asked.

"You're not my friend. Well, you are, but... you know."

Kyra smiled again. "Oh, you're so cute when you get nervous."

Mia dropped her hand to her side. "So, when is the food coming?"

Steve checked his watch, even though he knew what time it was. "About ten minutes."

"Good." Mia grabbed Kyra's arm. "Let's get the boys out of the kitchen before they spoil their dinner."

Kyra laughed. "They could eat everything in this house and still be hungry." But she followed Mia, only turning back a second to say, "Nice to meet you, Steve."

**H-5-O**

Danny sank down onto the couch with a reluctant sigh. Morgan had gone upstairs saying he needed to get his things because he and Kyra were going to stay in a hotel. Steve took the chair across from Danny and folded his hands.

"How's it coming?" he asked.

Danny rubbed his forehead. "Slowly."

"Is there anything new?" Steve couldn't help the pitiful tone that crept into his voice.

Danny shook his head. "I'm sorry. We're doing our best."

"I know," Steve said quickly. "Just keep it up. You'll get him."

"Don't you mean we?"

"Yeah, I mean—well, no."

Danny leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. "I know you want to protect Mia, but you're still a part of this. You can't just follow her around for the rest of her life."

"But this is where I'm needed the most right now."

"Any one of us could do what you're doing. Remember at the beginning you planned on switching off? What happened to that plan, huh? Look, I know you want to be with her, but that might not be the healthiest thing right now."

"That's got nothing to do with it. Me being with her isn't suspicious. But if it were someone different every day, it would be."

"Why does it matter? Durante knows she's being protected. You're not hiding her from him. What's so important about it being you?"

"Because that way I know she's safe."

"So you're doing this because it makes you feel better."

"No, you—It's not like that. You don't understand. Mia... doesn't trust people. I don't even think she really trusts me yet."

"And, what, you're trying to make her more comfortable?"

Steve spread his hands. "Yes. Why is that a problem?"

"It's not. I'm just surprised. For one, that she's distant, and that you're being so sensitive about it."

"I'm sensitive."

"Yeah, I just don't normally see that unless you're talking to young children. But why doesn't she trust you? I mean, I didn't even like you when we first met, but I still trusted you. Mostly."

Steve shook his head. "Her whole life was turned upside down. The person she relied on the most betrayed her. I kinda know what that feels like. So, yeah. I think I need to stay with her."

Danny nodded. "Okay. Just... don't stay away too long."

Steve smiled softly. "I couldn't."

**H-5-O**

Dinner was loud and chaotic. There was more than enough pizza to go around, but somehow afterward, Steve found himself in an empty kitchen with cleaned plates and bare pizza boxes. He should have known Danny and the O'Brien brothers wouldn't rest until all the food was gone.

After they ate, Danny headed home, and Morgan and Kyra left a while later. At this point, Mia was curled up on the couch, and Kirk and Zach were sitting on the floor playing "Go Fish." Steve found himself forgetting that they were in fact grown men with lives outside of their sister. But Mia looked happy watching them, as if she were transported back to a time when things were simpler.

Steve sat next to Mia and handed her the cup of tea he had gone to get for her. "It's just lemon. I didn't have many flavors."

"That's fine," Mia said, holding the cup up to her face and taking a deep breath of the aromatic steam. "I don't like too much fluff in my tea."

Steve smiled. He could live with that. What was he thinking?

Mia reached for his hand, turning her attention back to the game on the floor. Steve wondered if she could feel his pulse quicken at her touch. He wondered if she realized that he felt like a 13-year-old boy with his first crush. He hoped she knew how happy he was to be so close to her, to feel her thumb rubbing his and her knee leaning against his leg. He watched her deep brown eyes light up at her brothers' antics and observed the way her wavy hair always seemed to escape whatever confinement she inflicted upon it. Steve wondered if he would ever work up the courage to tell her how much he liked her hair down.

Mia turned back to face Steve suddenly. "What?"

Steve blinked. "Hmm?"

"You're staring."

"Oh, sorry." He looked down at their hands. He couldn't help but be fascinated with her long fingers twisted with his.

"I didn't say you should be sorry," Mia said. "I just wondered why."

Steve looked back into her eyes. He could stare again for as long as she would let him. "Do I have to explain it?" he asked.

"I am uncomfortable with things I don't understand."

Steve was surprised with how honest she was. "Well, I'm not as good with words as you are. It would sound... cheesy."

"I like cheese."

Steve laughed. He got the feeling she meant to take him off guard. "I was staring because I..." He couldn't say it. There was something still in his way, some distance still between them. "Because I couldn't stop."

It wasn't what he wanted to say. He meant so much more than that by his long gaze, but something told him it was too soon to put the full weight of his admiration on her. She didn't need the pressure right now. Later, he told himself. Later he would tell her why he stared so long.

**H-5-O**

In the morning, things went as usual. Steve drove Mia to the college. They went to her office, and Steve waited in the lobby of the building while she met with students. She graded a few papers, and then the two of them decided to leave early to get some coffee before Mia's first class started.

"The little stand outside the science building is the best," Mia was saying as she gathered her book bag and locked her door. "It's out of the way, but worth it to avoid the over-roasted atrocities you may find elsewhere."

Steve smiled and followed her down the hallway and out the main entrance. "I didn't know you cared that much about coffee," he said.

"I don't always," she said. "Only when I decide to drink it."

They laughed and crossed the concrete pathway toward their destination. Steve was beginning to feel comfortable in this environment. He had learned more about English and writing in the last few days than he ever thought there was to know, but he didn't mind. He liked knowing what Mia did and seeing her in action. And it was a nice change to be in civilian clothes and spend the day in a more relaxed environment than he was used to.

Steve was feeling pretty good until and explosion ripped through the building they had just come out of. He reached out and pulled Mia to the ground, covering her as best he could until the blast stopped. However, another quickly followed, sending bits of brick and concrete dust over their huddled bodies.

Mia wasn't moving, and Steve hoped it was from shock. He didn't want to think of any other possibilities at the moment. It seemed like forever until the noise ceased and Steve was able to scramble to his feet and look back through the dust and ash at what had once been the humanities offices.

People were screaming and Steve saw bodies of those closer to the building caught in the shrapnel, but he could only think of one thing. He turned back to see Mia still lying flat on her stomach on the concrete. Steve knelt beside her again and held her shoulders.

"Mia," he choked through the smoke-filled air.


	17. Aftershock

**Thanks for all the great reviews on the last chapter. This story is coming along pretty well now, and I'm happy to say that there will probably be a sequel. For updates on that, you can go to my facebook page. There's a link on my profile. Also, you may notice that I have some new cover art for this story. You can see a bigger version of it on my DeviantArt page from the link on my profile as well.  
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**Chapter Seventeen "Aftershock"**

Mia opened her eyes to see concrete and red. She lifted her hand to her right eye. There was blood running into it. Someone stopped her.

"Let me look at it," Steve said, holding her arm to keep her from touching the area.

Mia turned over to a sitting position, and then she saw what used to be her building. The front near the entrance had been blown away. Where her office was, an empty shell of brick and mortar sat. Then she saw the people. There were motionless bodies on the pavement, people trapped under debris. There was blood staining the sidewalks.

Mia didn't wait for Steve to check the cut on her forehead. She pushed his hand away and scrambled to her feet. She saw a familiar head of fluffy white hair near the edge of the rubble of the entryway.

She stopped short as a strong arm wrapped around her waist and a third blast rocked the ground. This time she fell on top of Steve, and he covered her head with his other hand. But Mia wasn't thinking about her current position. She had to get to Parker.

When Mia tried to move again, Steve held her down. "Don't move," he said, rolling to his side, putting himself between her and the crumbling building.

Mia was in no mood to argue this point. Parker didn't have much time. She had to help him.

"You can't help them," Steve said, tightening his grip around her. "There may be more."

Mia felt a wordless cry rise up in her throat. Her friends were dying, and she couldn't even move. She didn't think of the fact that Steve was protecting her from getting killed too. She only saw Jim Parker's head, the pure white hair stained with deep red, pouring out onto the stones and debris beneath him. She couldn't lie there and wait to hear he was dead.

"I'll go," Steve said. "Just promise me you won't move."

Mia felt his arms loosen, and she looked into Steve's face. His eyes betrayed a fear she would never have expected from him.

"Okay." Her voice cracked from the dust in her throat. "Hurry."

Mia felt Steve's sudden absence. She could see him walking away toward the carnage, and suddenly, she remembered to be afraid. College office buildings didn't just blow up for no reason. Sirens cried out, distantly at first, but they were quickly approaching.

Mia dreaded finding out what caused the explosions. In her heart she already knew it was because of her. She had brought all this with her when she tried to escape. Now, the people she cared about were paying for it.

Mia stood again, now that her building sat smoldering. The air was thick with acrid smoke, and the sounds of people shouting still filled the area. The whole world seemed to spin for a moment before a dead silence fell on it. The shouting stopped. Mia couldn't hear the sirens. And in the stillness, she looked down at her hands, dirty and scraped from falling. Tears splashed against the blood and dust and stung the raw skin.

**H-5-O**

Steve felt like he was swimming upstream as he walked away from Mia. He saw the man she had tried to get to before. Most of his body was buried under a pile of bricks and a piece of the broken archway from the building entrance.

He had come out of the building just after Steve and Mia. He held the door for them.

Steve knelt down beside the older man. His head was bleeding under his hair. Steve couldn't do anything about that. He couldn't do anything at all.

"Dr. Parker?" he said as he tested the man's pulse. It was weak but still there.

Parker coughed, and his lips turned red. "Steve?"

"Yeah, listen, you're buried under a lot of bricks, so don't try to move. Help is on the way."

Parker shook his head. "Not... for me."

"No. You're gonna be fine. Just hang on a minute longer. I can hear the sirens now."

Parker smiled and blinked slowly. "I wish I could say something... profound."

"Save it. You've gotta teach a class on Shakespeare in half an hour."

"Victorian and Romantic poetry," Parker corrected.

"Well, you'll need it then."

"Tennyson. It's Tennyson today..." Parker coughed again. "He said, 'I am a part of all that I have met;  
>Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'<br>Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades  
>For ever and forever when I move.<br>How dull it is to pause, to make an end,  
>To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!'"<p>

Steve stared as Parker recited the excerpt from "Ulysses." He didn't know that's what it was. He had never heard it before. As he finished, Parker's eyes closed. He let out a long sigh and did not breathe again.

Paramedics came running just too late. They pushed Steve out of the way, but he knew they couldn't help. He continued staring at the lifeless body of a man he hardly knew. Someone he had seen every day since he started following Mia.

Parker had always been friendly, asking Mia about her family or wanting to get to know Steve. He had been at the lecture that Saturday before all this happened. He sat in the front row, listened with a childlike gleam in his eyes, and asked the most questions. Mia often commented on how much she had learned from him. No one would ever learn from him again.

Steve walked backwards away from the building. He hadn't done anything to help.

The whole area was now full of emergency personnel. Steve headed back behind the nascent caution tape to find Mia. She was being treated for a minor head wound. Danny and Morgan were with her, and Steve assumed Chin and Kono were nearby.

"Jim?" Mia jumped down from the bumper of the ambulance.

The EMT tried to restrain her. "Miss, you could have a concussion."

Mia held up her hand. "It's Doctor." She turned back to Steve.

He knew the look in his eyes told her everything she didn't want to know. He couldn't say it out loud. She leaned back against the ambulance and closed her eyes. The EMT went back to examining her, and Danny pulled Steve aside a little.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Steve shook his head. "I don't know."

"Who's Jim?"

"He's—was one of Mia's colleagues. He was trapped in the entryway when the first bomb went off."

"There was more than one?"

"Three. All strategically placed around Mia's office. I'm guessing in the air vents. I wouldn't think Durante would be the type for acts of terrorism, but this couldn't be a coincidence."

Danny nodded. "There are no coincidences."

"Then what are we missing? How could they be so desperate to kill her that they're willing to risk something like this? It doesn't make sense."

"I don't know. The governor wants you to call him as soon as possible, though."

"Of course."

"Like it or not, you're back in the game now. People will be demanding to know what's going on, and you're the face of this operation."

"Great. Let's get Mia and Morgan back to the Palace, and then I'll deal with all that."

"Take them in your car. I'll help Chin and Kono finish up here." Danny paused as he looked around. "It's about to hit the fan, my friend."

Steve followed his gaze. "Yeah."

**H-5-O**

Mia sat in Steve's office. They hadn't asked her to, but she wanted to be alone for a while. She could see Steve and Morgan in the main room talking over the smart table. Kyra was in Danny's office on the phone with their people in LA. Kirk and Zach were on their way from Steve's house.

Mia leaned back into the thick cushions and let out a sigh. There was too much to think about to even begin to know where to start. She didn't know how many people had died in the explosion. She didn't want to. She preferred to think of all of her friends and coworkers alive. But she knew Parker was dead.

Of all people, it had to be him under that archway. He had been the first person to welcome Mia to the campus and offer to show her around. He often bought her coffee, and they talked in the little sitting room down the hall from her office. He listened to all of her ideas about teaching and her own research. He encouraged her when she was frustrated. He had been her only friend for a while. It was Jim Parker who introduced Mia to Rachel at a fundraiser.

So, in a strange way, without Jim, Mia never would have met Steve. She couldn't help thinking that might have been better for Steve. But she would always be grateful for meeting him. She didn't deserve his patience or attention, but he had always been there anyway. Mia closed her eyes and thanked God for Jim Parker. She could only hope he was in a better place.

Steve opened the glass door of the office before Mia had spent sufficient time alone. He crossed the room to sit beside her. He put one arm behind her on the couch and put his other hand on her arm.

"You're brother's are here. Kirk says he's going to call your dad."

Mia didn't move, but she inhaled sharply. She blinked rapidly to remove any traces of tears. "That should be fun." She tried to keep her tone light, but there was still a catch in her throat.

Steve moved the tips of his fingers in circles on her forearm. "We were thinking it might be a good idea for you to leave town for a while."

Mia shifted to get a better look of Steve's face. "Leave where?"

"Kyra said her parents have a place in Vancouver. No one would think to look for you there."

"So you want me to go off alone? Somewhere I've never been? Until what? They tried to blow me up. I don't think they're giving up any time soon."

"It was just a suggestion. If you want to stay with me, we may have to change some things."

"What things?"

"You won't be going back to work. Not that classes will be going for a while anyway."

"How—" Mia faltered. She didn't know how to ask. She didn't want to know. "How many?"

Steve sighed. He seemed to have expected this question. "Nineteen," he said. "Five students, seven professors, a secretary, three landscapers, a custodian, and three others who haven't been identified yet."

Mia didn't respond for a moment. She tried to put the pieces together. "I knew them," she finally said. "I knew all of them. Those students passed my office all the time. The guys who mowed the lawn and trimmed the bushes were always making noise outside my window. Frank... Frank cleaned the building and told stupid jokes."

Mia couldn't talk anymore around the knot in her throat. They had all died because someone wanted to kill her. She focused on breathing. She tried not to think of all the lives that wouldn't be lived now, all those who lost children, spouses, friends, parents.

"Why?" she demanded of no one in particular. "What do they want?"

Steve's hand gripped her arm more tightly. He didn't say anything as he brought his arm down to rest on her shoulders. He was inviting her to lean on him, but she couldn't just yet. She pulled away and stood up. Her legs felt shaky as she paced the floor toward the glass wall.

Mia pressed her hands against the cool glass. She saw a dim reflection of her pale face. The bandage on her forehead only brought back the whole ordeal. She closed her eyes, breathed in and out. She refused to allow more tears in front of Steve. Once was too much.


	18. Communication

**Thanks to everyone who continues reading and reviewing this story. I love you all! Remember to check out the cover art. There's a link on my profile to see a better picture of it.  
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**Chapter Eighteen "Communication"**

Kirk counted the rings as he leaned against the smart table, waiting for his father to answer the phone. He tapped his fingers on the side of the table. It seemed to take much longer than three rings for Walter O'Brien to pick up.

"Why is it my sons have called me more in the last week than they do in an average month?" came the toneless voice of the head of the O'Brien family.

"I call you all the time," Kirk argued.

"My phone bill says otherwise."

"Yeah, look, pretty soon you'll be hearing about an incident at UH, and I was just calling to let you know that Mia's fine, so don't worry about it."

"What kind of incident." Walter had his tone. The tone that said Kirk was going to tell him everything he wanted to know.

"There was an explosion in one of the buildings, but she's fine, okay?"

"An explosion? Like a gas leak or a terrorist attack, Kirk?"

"Like... I don't know. It wasn't a gas leak."

"What is going on over there? I thought those people were taking care of it."

"Apparently it's a lot bigger than we thought. I don't know. I'll have Morgan call you later. He knows more than I do."

"I'm starting to think no one knows what's going on. Why hasn't Mia called us?"

"She's been under a lot of pressure lately. I don't think she needs more right now."

"Talking to her family is pressure?"

"Yeah, Dad, have you met yourself?"

"Watch it. This isn't about you or me, Kirk. How is your sister?"

"Right now? She's in the best place she can be with the best person. He's something else, Dad. I've never met anyone with that much patience."

"What are you talking about? Mia isn't hard to get along with."

"No. But she doesn't tell anyone anything either. Kind of detrimental to a relationship. But somehow he's getting through to her."

"Sounds like a nice guy, but we don't know him."

"Sure. Whatever. I just wanted to let you know what was going on so you and Mom didn't freak out when you turned on the news tonight."

"I think we should come down there. Maybe we could convince her to move back home."

"No, Dad, that won't help anything. There are too many people around here as it is, and she's not a little girl anymore."

"You sound like her."

"She's my best friend, remember?"

"Yeah. I remember. But I still want to be there."

"You don't want to put Amy and Michael in this situation, and you know how it would stress Mom out. Me and Zach have things handled here, and Morgan is helping the police."

"I'm not sure how I feel about your skills at handling you sister. Or Zach's skills at handling anything."

"You don't give him enough credit."

"Oh, I'm sorry, my genius son drives a taxi for a living."

"Dad, it's what he wants to do. Why should it matter? I can't believe we're having this conversation again."

"I don't know why you always defend him. He should be doing something with his life."

"I guess I just think family should support each other even when they don't agree. I have to go."

Kirk didn't say goodbye. He just hung up and put his phone away. Conversations with his father always seemed to go that way. There was never any yelling or insults, but they had never seen eye to eye on things, especially Mia and Zach. Maybe Kirk was too preferential to his younger siblings, but they had always been there for him, and he just wanted to return the favor.

**H-5-O**

Kono overheard Kirk's conversation with his dad. She could hear the tension in his voice the whole time, as if it were the last conversation he wanted to be having. After everything that had happened, Kono figured Kirk could use someone to talk to.

"Your dad isn't happy?" she said, moving to stand beside him.

Kirk shrugged. "Wouldn't know. We don't really communicate very well."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know. We see things differently, I guess."

Kono was silent for a moment. "Hey, you want to get some fresh air? You look like you could use it." She touched Kirk's arm briefly, then dropped her hand to her side.

He smiled weakly. "Yeah, sure."

They took the stairs slowly to the main floor and headed out the doors and down the stone steps outside. They walked across the lawn under the trees. For a long time, neither of them said anything.

Kono finally broke the silence. "So, I heard what you said about Steve. I didn't know you liked him so well."

"What's not to like?" Kirk said. "He's done more for Mia than any of us has been able to do in the last two years."

"I guess it just takes the right person sometimes."

"Yeah." Kirk looked down at his hands. "I mean, I feel bad that I couldn't help her, but in situations like this, I suppose it's not the same."

"Not the same as what? Divorce?"

Kirk didn't answer immediately. He chewed on his lip for a second. "Yeah. I always said she kept me from going crazy after, but when she needed me... I couldn't fix it."

Kono put her hand on Kirk's shoulder, and they stopped walking. "No one can fix something like that. And I bet she doesn't know how much she helped you. Maybe you helped her and just didn't realize it."

"Yeah, maybe." Kirk stared off across the parking lot beside them.

"Hey, I mean it." Kono pulled on his shoulder to get him to face her. "I'm sure she appreciates you."

"You know, I say whatever's on my mind, and I could never think of a damn thing to say to her after it happened. And now what am I supposed to do, huh? Tell her everything's gonna be okay? I highly doubt that."

Kono shook her head. "Maybe you just tell her you'll be there when she needs you. Maybe you sit with her when she won't say a word. Maybe you take her surfing."

Kirk gave Kono a curious stare. "How do you know these things?"

Kono shrugged. "I have a big family. Things happen. And I spent a day with Mia. She seems more the sit in silence than talk about her feelings type."

Kirk nodded. "She is. Maybe that's why I never thought I helped her. Because she listened to me talk for hours on end, and then when she needed me, she didn't say anything. I thought I was doing something wrong."

"I don't think you need to worry. Steve is good with the sitting in silence thing."

"And you're good with the talking thing."

"Well..." Kono smiled, and realized her hand was still on Kirk's shoulder, but she didn't feel any need to move it. He was smiling back at her. His dark hazel eyes seemed bright for the first time since she met him.

"You know something else about me?" Kirk spoke as if telling a secret. "I'm very impulsive." He leaned toward her, and Kono had felt this coming since they started talking, but it somehow managed to take her by surprise, anyway. It wasn't just a simple brush of the lips. This was the real thing. There was no holding back with him, and Kono found herself enjoying it very much.

**H-5-O**

Morgan watched through the glass. His sister was sitting against the wall, her back to him. She didn't even look like she was breathing. Steve sat across from her on the couch. He was watching her. Deep furrows marked his forehead, and his jaw was tight. A vein in his neck twitched every so often.

Morgan didn't know where his brothers had disappeared to. He almost didn't care. He could see Chin and Danny in the former's office. They looked downright grave. Kyra had just come out of Danny's office and joined Morgan beside the table.

"LAPD is working on tracing the explosives," she said. "They think it's possible Durante's dealing in weapons now. And I talked to the police chief here. HPD is working on figuring out how the bombs got there. No security cameras though, with the whole place up in smoke."

Morgan didn't respond for a moment. "What if he came here to make an arms deal? Maybe the drugs are just a side thing. Remember how often he had business trips? This could be what he was doing."

"But if he's really an arms dealer, how could we not have known it all this time?"

"We didn't know anything until two years ago. He's that good at hiding his tracks. And maybe Mia saw something that could have exposed that. She said she saw drugs and weapons. Maybe that's why he's after her."

"Possible. Doesn't help us find him though."

"That's for the cops to sort out. It's our job to put him away for it."

"It's gonna be hard if all his major crimes are in Hawaii. We may have to turn the case over."

"Hey, I don't care what prison he ends up in. I'd be thrilled if he were tried in both states. Longer sentence."

"Once they find him."

"Yeah."

Kyra sighed and bushed her hair back from her face. "So, how is everyone?"

"Well, you can see Mia from here. I just got a call from Dad. I should have just called him to begin with. Kirk only irritates him."

"They'd do that anyway."

"I know. I haven't seen Zach. He's probably looking for food somewhere."

"I saw Kirk leave with Kono a little while ago."

"Good." Morgan nodded. "She seems to be a good listener."

Kyra linked her arm with Morgan's. "I wish we could do something."

He looked down at her. "We will. We do what we do best. We're superheroes, remember?"

Kyra leaned against Morgan's shoulder. "Yeah. We're superheroes."

**H-5-O**

Mia looked up at Steve from her spot on the floor. "I want to go home," she said.

Steve nodded. "Okay. I'll take you."

"No, I mean home. My home."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I didn't ask."

"Mia—"

"I need something normal. Is that so much to ask?"

Steve stood up. "Look, I understand that, but it's not safe for you there. I wish I could help you, but I can't take you back there."

"Fine." Mia stood up and reached for the door.

"Wait." Steve grabbed her arm.

Mia looked back at him. Her eyes narrowed in contempt, and Steve let go.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Mia's eyes softened a little bit. "I need to be alone for a while. Just—just a while, and then I'll be fine."

Steve shook his head. "I can't leave you alone. And for all we know, they've rigged your apartment too, in case you come back. This guy knows you. He can predict what you'll do, so you can't afford to take off without thinking."

"Without thinking? All I've been doing is _thinking_. I want to go _home_. And curl up in _my_ bed. I want to fall asleep to the sound of my neighbors talking too loudly and the smell of old wood."

Mia had her arms wrapped around herself like a blanket. She looked so much smaller than normal, her eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears.

Steve's voice came out a whisper. "I'll go. I'll get you whatever you want, but you have to stay here. I'm sorry."

Mia looked away. She didn't say anything. She didn't move. Steve could only wonder how long it would last this time.


End file.
